Bargains and Balance
by Belgaria
Summary: Terra has gone and Beast Boy has let her go in his heart. He accepts the rare kindness of a certain empath and after she's taken, he realizes that friendship is trust, but what about something more than friendship? The Teen Titans can kick butt, but can they do it fast enough to save Raven just as they have before, even when time is against them?
1. Chapter 1

**Bargains and Balance**

**Chapter I**

**I don't own Teen Titans. **

* * *

" - that's when she said she had a test next class and left. I just can't believe it."

The Titans watched as Beast Boy plopped down onto the curved couch, and let himself slide down so that only his head was propped up back of the couch.

"You have considered the possibility that the person you saw wasn't Terra, right?" the Boy Wonder asked his green friend.

Beast Boy slowly blinked. "I wish it wasn't her. But I'm telling you guys, I have a feeling it's her. But at the same time it's not."

"Look B, all that matters is that you still have friends. And your friends here, I'm sure, are proud of you for letting her go," Cyborg put a hand on his friend's shoulder as he sat down next to him.

"Thanks, Cy."

Starfire, being the person she was, wasn't happy at all to see her friend so upset. "To cheer you up, friend Beast Boy, I shall give you the Tamaranian song of what you call 'friends of the best'."

Before their overly compassionate friend had opened her mouth, Raven hastily jumped in and said, "_Okay_, I know we can't help you in every way, but to get your mind off of it all, why don't you just try to get some sleep. That guy hit us pretty hard before we got him under control."

The changeling looked at them all with gratitude. "Thanks, guys. But all I need now is time to think."

And with that he went out of the common room. The doors slid shut and the remaining Titans stared at the door for a second before Cyborg put a palm to his face.

"Sorry guys, but I gotta run. My baby needs a good fixing up after that dude scratched it so much. Afterwards, I think I'll head to bed," Cyborg said as he, too, exited the room.

Raven looked at the door expressionlessly and said in her signature monotone, "Sweet dreams," before she left the room as well.

Starfire looked at Robin in genuine confusion. "Will friend Beast Boy be willing to hear the Tamaranian song of friendship tomorrow?"

The Boy Wonder suppressed a sigh. "If his ears let him, he will."

Starfire didn't understand, but she said nothing else.

* * *

"That won't help. I should know."

Beast Boy, who had been trying to hit the birds on the shore from the tower's roof with loose rocks by his feet, whirled around and when he saw who it was, sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Heh heh, never . . . thought you to be a person who hurts animals," he said awkwardly.

She only raised an eyebrow as he gave up and sat on the edge of the tower with his legs hanging off the roof. "I was making sure you were okay."

Beast Boy looked at the empath in only mild surprise. "Considering you gave me a pretty good talk after the last personal problem, I'll let you find out for yourself."

Raven sat down next to him and they both looked at the not-so-distant Jump City across the water.

"Remember what I said after you became that Beast inside you?" Raven began without looking at him. "I meant what I said. Self-control is part of growing up, and it's harder for some people than others. Letting Terra, or whoever you saw, go was another step up for you. You may not know this, but Cyborg was right when he said we were proud of you. We're your friends; your family."

Beast Boy gave a small smile. "Never would've thought you were one for personal pep-talks, Rae."

Raven glanced at him before looking at the water again. "What do you mean?"

"After Cyborg lost his first T-Car, when I became the Beast; you just . . . come through when you're needed. It's . . . nice."

He looked at her with a grin that showed his one fang. "You totally know how to make someone feel better. Now, I wanna hear about the birds you've smacked with your anger episodes from this roof."

Raven only looked at him. "I'm being nice to you already. Don't push it."

Beast Boy's grin grew wider. "C'mon, Rae! I'll bet you knocked all of them off in one go."

"Like I said before, we're having a moment here, don't mess it up." But nevertheless, Raven gave a small smile.

He shrugged. "So, now that you're being nice to me, would you be willing to, I don't know, teleport me to my room or something so I don't have to walk so far?"

Raven stared into his pleading green eyes for so long that he turned into a small puppy and gave her "the face."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine."

Beast Boy gave a fist pump and they phased into the floor and right outside Beast Boy's room. Beast Boy and Raven stood there before he gave her a small hug. Raven tensed but didn't push him off and when he stepped back, he did his signature grin.

"You know, I'm glad you guys are here. Thanks, Raven. You're a great friend and hero." He paused before he completely entered his room and faced her as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "You should smile more. It's . . . nice." Then he was gone from her view.

Raven gave another small smile. "I'm glad you appreciate it." Raven felt content as she entered her room and prepared for bed. Beast Boy didn't know it, but that small comment had made her more relaxed than she's ever been for as long as she could remember.

_What are friends for?_ she thought.

* * *

"We have initiated Code 699."

A tall, dark man hidden by shadows addressed the small man. "Very good. With all that has been going on, I had almost forgotten you were of use. The delays have been many, but it is no matter. I shall get what I want."

"Of course, sir. Anything else?"

"Yes. But there is always something else, doesn't it seem so? Make sure Code 669 doesn't fail. I'd hate to have made a deal I could not have kept."

"Yes, sir."

The man in shadows stepped a little closer to the smaller man. "He will not be able to refuse my offer. What I offer him is valuable beyond words."

The man gave a small, shaky bow. "Of course, sir."

Before he could run out, the man in shadows stepped into the light revealing a man in black and dark orange armor. "I prefer to be called Slade. After all it is my name. Make sure the gem stays safe."

* * *

Reviews are more than welcome. Please let me know what you think. I'll continue it based on reviews. I'll try to update every weekend. Thanks!

-Belgaria


	2. Chapter 2

**Bargains and Balance**

**I don't own Teen Titans**

* * *

**Chapter II**

The next morning was more relaxed than the night before. Beast Boy had finally stopped sulking and his mood had changed considerably. Raven had entered the common room after her morning meditation to find Beast Boy and Cyborg arguing over a video game like nothing significant had taken place.

"Dude, you totally cheated!" Beast Boy was saying.

"Cheated? C'mon, BB, it's called 'pure skill'," Cyborg said as he laid down his controller and reclined on the curved couch.

Raven let the two bicker as she floated to the kitchen where Starfire was preparing some sort of Tamaranian horror for her breakfast.

"Um, Starfire . . . what exactly is that?" Raven asked carefully as she pointed to the dish of pink and purple stuff.

"Oh, it is most enjoyable! It's a concoction of the most intricate of plants found only on the -"

"Forget I asked," Raven interrupted.

Starfire only shrugged as she continued to do whatever to the . . . whatever.

"So, Raven's done with morning meditation. Normally she's the last one here. Where's Robin?" Cyborg asked without looking away from the screen.

"Why don't you go find him?" Beast Boy said casually.

"Nuh uh. No way am I falling for that again, man." And with that, Cyborg promptly shoved Beast Boy off the couch ensuring his victory in the game.

Raven rolled her eyes as Beast Boy started complaining and looked around the room. It was true that the Boy Wonder hadn't entered the room at all. Besides Raven, Robin was normally the first one up ready to start training, or research the next big criminal.

"He doesn't normally sleep late," she commented as she opened up her book and began to read it.

Starfire had just finished inhaling whatever she had made and looked at Raven with a large grin. "Shall I check on friend Robin while you three do the relaxing?"

No one answered and Starfire merely shrugged and left the room in search for Robin.

"Hey, Raven!" called Beast Boy once Cyborg had beat him again and they had quit the game.

"What?" Raven didn't stop reading as she answered. She had learned that multitasking was something that just happened when you lived like she did.

Beast Boy ran until he was standing on the other side of the island in the middle of the kitchen looking at Raven who was sitting on a bar stool reading. He did his signature grin as he answered her.

"When does Friday come before Thursday?" He paused waiting for some sort of response.

"In your world," Raven said monotonously.

"In the dictionary!" he said as he started on a large round of laughter. "Get it? Because Friday and Thursday, and hehehehehe!"

Raven closed her book and just looked at him with the slightest hint of amusement in her eyes. "You crack yourself up."

He wiped a tear from his eye. "It's just that I'm so funny!"

Cyborg had just finished putting everything away and called from his side of the room, "No, you're not!"

Beast Boy only glared at him before Cyborg palm slapped his face like he had the night before.

"Car?" Raven asked.

"I wish. Hair Gel asked me to upgrade the training course today and I totally just remembered. But now that you mention it," Cyborg grinned at Raven in a way that made her regret asking, "I re-waxed and repainted the T-Car last night. Would you mind going to check if everything's dry for me?"

"Why can't Beast Boy do it?" she asked immediately after Cyborg had finished.

Cyborg grabbed the back of Beast Boy's collar and dragged him behind him as he walked towards the door. "Grass Stain here is gonna help me upgrade the course." And with that, they two boys left the tower.

Raven growled before she got up and levitated to the door and down the hall. "Stupid car. Stupid me. Note to self: never bring up Cyborg's car to him again."

As Raven turned the next corner, she was hit with a blast of rage, fury, fear, and confusion from what she deducted was Robin's study. Feeling only the tiniest bit of guilt, she put her ear to the door and barely managed to hear what they were saying.

"- fine, Star! I said I'm fine and the team's fine!" she heard Robin say.

"Robin, I care very much for you. If you would just tell me what has you, as you say, 'scared to the death', then I am sure that I can help you."

There was a pause before Robin replied. "No. Right now, the team just needs to rest. Especially after Beast Boy's Terra incident and the whole fight with the Brotherhood of Evil. We all need to settle down."

"So why have you not?" Starfire asked Robin softly.

Robin sighed and Raven pressed her ear into the door even more.

"Because, I'm your leader and your friend. All of you. And I need to protect you from some things that aren't worth your concern and risk harm to you."

Starfire let out a sigh as well. "If you trust me in the way that I trust you, you will know that I will stay safe as much as I can."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Star! It's just . . . aarrrgghhh!" Robin exclaimed.

"I will be most patient with you, Robin. And I will be here for you," Starfire said quietly.

Raven almost took her ear away from the door because the silence that followed Starfire's comment was so long. But then she heard them speaking again and put her ear to the door again.

"Fine." Robin took a long, deep breath. "It's Slade. He's back. And he want's us."

* * *

"Azarath, Metrion, Zenthos," Raven chanted as she meditated.

After reporting Cyborg's car's condition to him (it was in pristine condition), Raven had begun another meditation session.

Yes, she had meditated already that morning, but she really needed to control herself before she made everything explode in the tower. Again.

She was on the roof, near where she had talked to Beast Boy the night before. Before she had gone into her trance, Raven had seen Beast Boy and Cyborg fixing the course below and making some changes every now and then, talking about some comic book.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zenthos."

Slade. That man was a big pain in the . . . well everywhere. He always knew exactly how to get to each and every one of them individually and seemed to have a knack for getting what he wanted.

She remembered seeing her familiar masked friend at Slade's side before he turned away and helped them chase Slade away. She remembered Slade coexisting with her father at his side. She remembered a lot. More than she cared to.

The last thing she wanted was something to remind her of that fateful birthday and what had ensued afterwards.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zenthos."

Plus, with Slade back, Robin was guaranteed to be locked in his study all day, every day until either Slade got away, or was behind bars.

Raven, in a word, was scared.

"Azarath, Metri -" Raven opened one eye and saw a green cat pawing at her right knee. She lowered herself to the ground.

"Lost something?"

Beast Boy transformed into himself. "No, just worried about you. Everything okay?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't it be?"

He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck in what Raven had long identified as a nervous habit. "It's just that . . I'm not a stalker or anything, but when you meditate . . . again I don't watch you . . . you look serene and calm and just kind of gone, you know? But this time, when I came up here to find you, you looked like you were focusing on something. Something . . . not too good."

Raven looked into his caring green eyes and gave up. She sat on the edge of the roof again like she had the night before.

"I was. But . . . I don't think it's time for you to know yet," she said vaguely.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Beast Boy was very curious now.

She looked out to the water. "It means that something bad is about to happen."

* * *

"Titans! GO!" Robin cried his signature battle cry as the Titans charged the unknown creature climbing out of the water onto the Titan's shore.

Soon after Raven and Beast Boy had returned to the inside of the Tower, the alerts had gone off stating that someone had triggered the alarms at the base of the shore. Robin and Cyborg had immediately called everyone together to face what looked like some sort of liquid based, greenish blue creature.

Beast Boy turned into a rhino and charged into the creature, but only went through the thing. Cyborg followed Beast Boy's attack with a laser from his hand gun, but that only went through the thing's chest leaving a small cloud of evaporated whatever liquid it was which quickly filled up.

"It restores itself like Plasmus!" Beast Boy almost wailed.

Starfire shot the creature with starbolts from her hands and eyes, but all that it did was make a section of the creature evaporate and reform.

Robin's gadgets did practically nothing, while Raven's magic seemed to slide off the thing.

"Why can't you just cover the dude with your dark magic stuff and tear it to pieces?" Beast Boy yelled over to Raven.

"Because it's soaking up my powers! Every time my powers get near it, it just soaks it up and nothing works!" Raven called back.

Beast Boy turned into an elephant and sucked up all the liquid through his trunk and spewed the remains of the creature along the shore. He ran back as a dog and turned back into himself with a grin.

"Leave it to me to save the day," he said.

Robin however was still very tense.

"Lighten, up dude!" Beast Boy gave Robin a friendly nudge in the shoulder.

"It's just . . . after all that didn't work .. . . it just seems way too easy," Robin shook his head in disbelief.

"The guy was practically chemically enhanced nasty water," Cyborg said.

"Um, friends? What is that?" Starfire suddenly said in a frightened voice that caused everyone to look where she was pointing which happened to be by their feet.

They all slowly looked down at their feet where a one inch tall, blue-green fog was covering the ground of the entire island and quickly rising higher.

"He can be any state of liquid! Hurry, get to the Tower! There's no telling what this gas will do!" Cyborg started to head to the Tower entrance, but it was too late, for the gas had all of a sudden surged upwards as if it had heard him; which it probably had.

The Titans were submerged and Beast Boy quickly turned into a mole and burrowed himself safely in the ground. Robin had completely covered himself with his cape, careful not to let any gas in. Starfire had simply flew higher than the gas had gone.

Raven however was having issues. She couldn't fly, which was problematic, and every time she tried to fly or create a safety bubble, the gas only seemed to suck her powers dry. As well as her energy. Soon she had to take a breath, and when she did immediately felt light headed. Really light headed.

It wasn't long before Raven collapsed, unconscious before her head hit the ground.

* * *

When the gas cleared, the Titans made sure they were all okay. Robin had a red rash on the tips of his ears, but nothing Cyborg couldn't handle, while Starfire and Beast Boy went unharmed. Cyborg had a giant rash all over and was incredibly itchy, but for the most part fine.

The only problem was Raven. And that was because she was gone.

"Wha? But . . . she . . . . I just saw her! The gas was up maybe ten seconds! How does someone just disappear?!" Beast Boy was practically tearing his hair out.

Robin and Cyborg went around the island while Starfire tried to calm a panicked Beast Boy.

That's when she looked where she had last saw her cloaked friend.

"Robin!" Starfire practically screeched.

The Boy Wonder was at her side in a flash and looked to where Raven was pointing.

In the dirt was a neat, clear, zig-zaggidy "S."

Robin clenched his jaw really tight before he finally said one word.

"Slade."

* * *

Yea, so that's the second chapter! REVIEWS, peeps. Please. Just one comment at least?

I'll try to post more as soon as possible.

-Belgaria


	3. Chapter 3

**Bargains and Balance**

**In no way do I own Teen Titans. **

* * *

**Chapter III**

When Raven opened her eyes, she saw a wall. Well, a ceiling, but from her standpoint she could care less about what she was seeing. The only thing that mattered was getting to see her friends again.

Raven sat up from where she had been laid down which was on a small bed in the corner of a pure white room, with absolutely no windows whatsoever. There was strangely a dresser with a mirror and a door that led to what Raven found to be a bathroom.

_At least it's a decent prison, _she mused.

Another problem besides the obvious: she literally had no idea where she was. At all. The scary thing was, was that Raven was perfectly aware of the fact that she could have been sent to Russia or Greenland without her knowing. Plus, her communicator was gone. Not good at all. Plus, not only was location an issue, but there was one more teeny-weeny little detail.

She couldn't use her powers. If she tried to, it just made her twice as exhausted as she started out, and she wasn't necessarily firm on her feet quite yet. After about three tries of even the simplest things, Raven gave up and plopped down on the gray covered bed.

She glared at the large metal door, the only non white part of the wall, that had been locked from the outside. She knew that the door led to freedom in some way, shape or form, and she was already using her great intellect to figure out how to get out.

That is, until the door opened. The second she saw who it was, she wanted to smack him to the next dimension. "Slade," she snarled.

"Now, now. Is that a way to treat an old acquaintance? Do you like your room? It was built specifically for you," Slade commented as he entered the room. The doors slid shut behind him.

"What do you want?"

"Me? Why, young one, I require nothing from you. I am only making this place as comfortable as possible. While at the same time draining your powers to finish a small project of mine." Slade seemed very sure of himself, which wasn't very surprising to Raven.

"Where are we? Where are my friends? Why do you -"

"Tsk, tsk. Too many questions. All will be answered in due time. Until then, I'd like it if you stayed put. It would be tragic to have to end a life before it's been of its full use."

As always, Raven just wanted to get away from him. She may not have her powers, but she sensed that Slade was using her for something big. Something . . . demonic.

"You should've learned last time that a bargain made with him is never kept," Raven said as she decided to try and hit the nail on the head.

Slade merely nodded. "I have a way of getting my way this time. I have business to attend to. Stay safe." And with that he left.

Raven dropped onto her bed. "Ugh!"

Why wasn't Beast Boy here to comfort her like he always managed to do? She recalled the last few talks they had had.

_You should smile more. Its . . . nice._

_Its not that I don't watch you . . . its just . . . _

_You're a great friend._

_I'm glad you're here._

Ravenput her hood over her head and decided to spend the time she had meditating. Specifically about how to deal with her current situation, and find out why her mind kept jumping back to the green changeling.

* * *

"Anything yet?"

"Not yet Beast Boy."

"Oh, okay. . . . . . . how about now?"

"Like I've told you every minute for the past hour: nothing yet!"

Beast Boy let his forehead fall until it connected with the kitchen island. He put his hands on the back of his head and started to repeatedly clench and release his hair.

The rest of the Titans, besides Raven, of course, were standing in front of the Titans map, trying to track Raven from the last place her communicator had been on before the small blip had popped out of existence.

Robin was absolutely furious with himself, with Slade, and pretty much the entire situation. Starfire was absolutely mortified when she discovered her friend had disappeared, and Cyborg had promptly stopped joking around.

The biggest toll the entire took was on Beast Boy. The poor changeling was absolutely crazy with worry, angst, anger, fear, and most of all confusion. The thing was, was that when Robin had been frozen by the Brotherhood of Evil, he hadn't panicked at all. He had been filled with a strong determination to finish what his leader had started.

When Cyborg had been in the H. I. V. E. Academy, Beast Boy had had plenty of faith in his best friend to an extent that exceeded any doubts or worries he had to begin with.

When Starfire had disappeared when she had gone through the Transformation, Beast Boy was worried, yes. But he was also at the same time comforted at the thought of Starfire being able to three trucks without trying and a reassurance that they'd find her eventually, which they did.

So why was he so concerned about his mysterious cloaked friend being gone so suddenly? Raven could handle herself just as good if not better than Starfire, was just as capable as Cyborg and smart enough not to do anything rash. So why was he so worried?

Beast Boy's thoughts were interrupted by Robin.

"Beast Boy, I think we have something."

Beast Boy turned into a sparrow and perched himself on the Boy Wonder's shoulder. Robin just glanced at him as he continued.

"We have investigated every possible direction she could've gone and how far she'd be away by now if she had continued at the speed her communicator was moving before it shut down. The thing is, she wasn't moving very fast. Everything says one thing: Raven's still in Jump."

There was a pause as the small, green sparrow hopped to the ground and turned into Beast Boy. "C'mon dudes, we gotta find her. I'll get the sewers."

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. "Cyborg, I want you to patrol the streets with the car. Starfire, I want eyes in the air. I'll be investigating by talking to the locals to see if they saw anything suspicious. Call if you need help. Meet back here in two hours. Titans, GO!"

* * *

__Slade had meant what he had said, and that only made Raven angrier. The room was entirely comfortable and livable besides her lack of powers and the lack of genuine sunlight.

Besides two meals a day and the occasional visit from her captor, the whole thing was actually pretty . . . boring. All that Raven had to do was meditate, and believe it or not, she was tired of it.

She had, however met with her mind. Nevermore was not only accessible through her mirror. After all it was her brain. She could get there through intense meditation when she really tried and had the time for it.

Apparently her emotions all had good things to say about Beast Boy. Besides Timid. Timid had been too shy to say what she thought about him.

That only confused her more. Ever since she had been captive (Raven's internal clock said something around four days) when she let her thoughts wander, they always ended up on the green changeling. She was legitimately starting to scare herself.

She had caught herself thinking about his hair, his corny jokes, his fang when he smiled, his ears, his voice, _him._

The only other thought that entered her mind was escape, and she had found out little about her cell. All she knew was that there was gas being leaked into her room on purpose and it was made from the same stuff that that stupid monster had been made from.

Raven had read many books, and honestly being kidnapped was not at all it was made out to be. She flopped onto the bed on her back and looked at the ceiling.

"Why can't being a damsel in distress be exciting?"

She just wished her knight in shining armor would get his butt over here and save her before she died of complete boredom.

She groaned. There she was thinking of _him _again. This was going to be a long week.

* * *

Sorry peeps. That chapter was a little shorter (I think) and full of mainly just character development. If anyone has any ideas about what should happen next I'm open to ideas, because honestly I only have this story planned so far before it all goes fuzzy.

The next chapter will be more enjoyable, I promise.

Until then, adios!

-Belgaria


	4. Chapter 4

**Bargains and Balance**

So, I'm glad everyone is reviewing and giving me their input. This is nice. Keep it up!

I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

"Code 699 worked well, don't you think?"

"Y . . . y . . . yes, sir. Very well, sir."

Slade looked down at the trembling man before him. "Now, we have the gem. How long until we have until we have enough energy to power the Machine?"

The man pulled a small rectangular device out of his pocket and read the meter. "We have five more days, sir. But maybe more depending on how much gas we have left."

Slade looked at the man calmly. "How long was the estimated time?"

"Three and a h . . . half week, sir."

"And you didn't think in your overgrown head that maybe enough gas for that time period might be sufficient?"

The man gulped.

"Remember where you stand and why. Remember what happens if everything goes wrong. Family I understand, is very much valued."

The man looked down at his feet. "Y . . . yes sir."

"Good. After this week, the Teen Titans can say goodbye to their dear friend and their lives will be at my control."

* * *

"I. Hate. The sewers," Beast Boy complained as the Titans met up after their seventeenth daily search.

"You want to find her, don't you? Then suck it up," Cyborg said as he slapped Beast Boy on the back.

After seventeen days without a trace from their familiar demoness friend (Beast Boy searched during the nights as well) the Titans were more determined than ever, and also more exhausted.

Robin hadn't left his study for anything besides the occasional bathroom break, snack, and the regular searches. Starfire hadn't slept very well since she discovered Slade's sign in the dirt that day and had been haunted by horrible nightmares that kept her away from her bed.

Cyborg had been researching every little change that happened in Jump City for any kind of clue that would lead him to something significantly out of the ordinary, and therefore possibly to Raven, and he hadn't slept well for a long time as well.

Beast Boy hadn't cracked nearly as many jokes as he used to. The changeling was silent most of the time in reminiscence, thought, or just plain fear. Over the course of the month, Beast Boy had grown so that he was now about as tall as Starfire now. Which made him just as tall as the Boy Wonder had grown as well. He had also grown mentally, and his entire mind was constantly on Raven and what he had said to her and what he hadn't.

The Titans went into the Tower and into the common room, besides Robin, and Cyborg booted up the Titan's map on the TV.

"Well, why we were gone, someone ordered a large overnight shipping of H2O, Liquid Nitrogen, and liquid mercury. If I remember correctly, that's the composition of the sample I took from the thing that took Raven," Cyborg said aloud.

Starfire had dozed off on the couch, so Beast Boy was the only one who heard.

"What's the delivery address?"

Cyborg told him and Beast Boy stood up from the couch. "I'll go check it out."

"C'mon, man. You just got here. You need to rest. After all, Slade isn't like that to openly order it to a specific address. It's probably a trap. We should lay low and see if anything comes up. We're all worried sick about Raven, man, but to help her, we need to help ourselves as well."

Beast Boy hesitated then nodded. "Okay, dude. I'll chill for a while. But I still want to check the place out. If Raven's there, I want to be there. If whoever lives there knows where she is, they're gonna tell us. And if anyone gets in my way, they're not going to get into anyone's way ever again."

And then Beast Boy marched out of the room.

Cyborg stood there looking at the door that had just slid shut behind Beast Boy, then shook his head in amazement. "That little dude's got it bad."

* * *

Beast Boy hadn't really planned on sitting back and waiting on any new odd news around Jump City. How could he when one of his best friends was gone?

That set his mind on another track. He'd been thinking quite a bit in the last few days about why this whole situation bothered him so much. At first he had denied it all, thinking he was worried because of the last few conversations he and Raven had shared before her abrupt absence.

Then he considered the possibility of something more than a friendly conversation. More than friendship. Then he had scolded himself for even considering the possibility of liking Raven as more than a friend.

If she found out, he'd be turned into something mighty unpleasant.

But the thought never left him. It was always in the back of his mind, and he had eventually decided to just let it stay there until he saw Raven again.

_If I see Raven again,_ Beast Boy thought. _No, I will see her again!_ he argued with himself.

After all, if he didn't see her again, he didn't know what he'd end up doing. He didn't know much outside of the Titans. All he knew outside of the Titans was that family was important, and then he had lost his. He didn't want to lose this one as well.

That's why he decided to investigate the house at the address that Cyborg had located. Unless the man who ordered those materials for an experiment, he had some serious questions to answer when Beast Boy was done with him.

Beast Boy dressed in al black, and even decided to put on a black ski mask and shades to keep anyone from recognizing him. He didn't want to get the Titans bad publicity if he got this whole hunch wrong.

But he'd do what it took to get her back. To get Raven back. To get _his _friend back.

* * *

She was extremely bored and the only way Raven kept herself from turning in to a blob on a bed and to keep herself busy and pass the time, was to practice the martial arts the ninja-like Boy Wonder had taught her.

She recalled how his training had helped immensely when she and Starfire had switched bodies and been stuck with each other's powers. That had been excruciating, yet surprisingly handy.

The thought that kept her committed to the daily exercise was that if she ever escaped, she'd be useless when it came to powers. So hand-to-hand combat would be nice to have. Therefore, she had set her mind on sharpening her skills.

What Raven had found out was that she tired very easily in the room and bathroom. Whether she was walking around, meditating, practicing her hand-to-hand combat, or trying to summon her powers, it always seemed to drain her faster than it usually did.

Using her powers was the worst, so she eventually avoided it when necessary, except for the occasional session where she'd try to see if she had any control over them.

Raven wasn't stupid. So she knew that something in the air was taking her powers away. She also knew that it was impossible to turn something into nothing, which meant her powers were being transferred to somewhere or to someone, and that thought didn't settle well with her whatsoever.

Raven sat on the floor to keep herself from falling fainting from light headedness.

If only something significant would happen. Every day when the second meal, and last meal, of the day was brought in, Slade came with it to check on her "for her benefit." She had tried attacking him to get out, but he was much more skilled than she in the area of close combat.

So she had, in a pool of anger, given up on that idea and approach.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zenthos."

She had faith that the Titans were looking for her and would find her. Raven trusted them all with her life.

Especially a certain green changeling. She had been going back and forth to Nevermore and spent a lot of time thinking about why she was so seemingly obsessed with him. She had even considered the possibility of actually liking him like _that._

But of course had denied it. She had rationalized that she kept thinking about him because he and her had gotten some pretty good talks and bonding moments before she had been taken.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zenthos."

Regardless of how many Raven's seemed obsessed with Beast Boy, the one emotion that she wanted to find, but could never find had somehow contacted all of her other emotions and refused to show herself to Raven. It was infuriating. Mostly because Raven wanted an explanation.

After all, she could never like Beast Boy, the green changeling like _that._ Could she?

* * *

Beast Boy stood in front of the very large house that was expecting a delivery the next morning with an aura of determination.

"This has to be it. Everyone makes mistakes, why not Slade?"

Beast Boy, clothed in complete black, blended in with the night almost like his favorite super hero, the caped crusader, Knight of Gotham. A month ago, he'd have thought this was cool. Now, he just wanted answers.

Beast Boy used one of Robin's gadgets that he had "borrowed" and disabled the security alarm from outside on of the windows. He carefully cut a decent sized hole in the glass after removing the screen, and stepped inside the dark house.

"Now, if I owned a house like this, where would I be?" Beast Boy muttered aloud.

He went upstairs, and using his animal instincts, found himself looking at two sets of large, double wooden doors. They were identical, and Beast Boy didn't know which one to go into.

Just as he was about to do his whole "Eeeny, meeny, miny, mo" trick, he heard a voice on the other side of the the set of doors on the right and looking back down the hall to make sure no one was there, carefully put his ear to the door.

The voice sounded like it was on the phone, and since the door was really thick, Beast Boy could only make out fragments.

"Yes. I . . . Machine is almost ready . . . . I understand . . . . project almost completed . . . . more time . . . . the gem is . . . . assure you . . . . she's safe . . . . as well as . .. . gateway . . . yes, sir . . . bye."

The voice grew silent and Beast Boy could only stand where he was in shock. This was almost too easy. Maybe it was a trap like Cyborg had said. But he had to know . . .

His mind quickly fit the word fragments that the man had said together.

Gem? She? Gateway? Machine? It was enough for him.

Beast Boy had had enough, and with a deep breath, he slammed the door open angrily and marched into the room.

* * *

Hehehehe I'll leave you peeps in suspense. REVIEW! You shall, and you will.

Until next time,

-Belgaria


	5. Chapter 5

**Bargains and Balance**

You guys have any idea what the title means? (First person to guess right gets intel on future updates before they happen. ;)

Anyway, here we go.

* * *

**Chapter V**

Raven found herself awaking in a blue room which was a large difference compared to her white room. What confused her the most though, was that there wasn't a single door on any of the walls except to the bathroom. The layout was identical to the white room, however, so she didn't need to do any more exploring.

Raven sat down and put her face in her hands.

She had not clue what was happening and Raven hated not knowing anything. The only thing she did know was that Slade was going to make some sort of deal with her father. Who obviously hadn't been completely defeated after all. And not only was it just a deal, it was a _huge _deal. And it made her nervous.

Mostly because it required her. And her powers. What worried her the most was that if she managed to get out, she wouldn't be able to use her powers ever again.

Raven fell onto her back onto the bed with her hands crossed on her stomach and closed her eyes.

It had been a full eighteen days since she had last seen her friends, and she had made all sorts of prayers to whatever god she could think of. Mostly she struck a deal with the universe that if she ever got out with her life and her powers, she would fully appreciate her friends and she would show it.

Especially a certain green changeling. Beast Boy had been popping into her mind more than she could count every single day, more than the other Titans. She had gotten over her confusion and after talking with her own mind (in a perfectly sane way), she just decided that it was just a phase that would pass once she got acquainted with him again.

Yet, a small part of her mind hoped it wouldn't, but she didn't want to go there, so she let that thought stay in the back of her head.

Raven groaned.

Yeah, the Titans had better get here soon or she would just wither away with worry. And no one wanted to see that happen.

She sighed. Raven was not enjoying herself at all.

* * *

When Beast Boy entered that room, the first thing he saw was a balding man behind a desk full of papers, straight across the room. The man was sitting very close to the back of his chair as if he wanted to melt into it. He also looked like he had just wet his pants.

"W . . . wha?!"

Beast Boy was now standing across the desk from the man and leaned forward and grabbed the man's shirt collar. His patience was super thin and this small, wimpy rich man really just knocked Beast Boy over the edge.

"You listen, and you listen good. You answer every question I ask you truthfully or else . . . well, we wouldn't want to find out, would we?"

Beast Boy had dragged the man across the desk with one hand so that the man's confused and terrified face was right in front of his masked one.

The sweating man nodded quickly and trembled. Beast Boy was almost disgusted.

"Your name," he demanded.

"S . . . Sven G . . . Guile. Sir."

Beast Boy leaned closer as well as pulled the man closer.

"Now, Sven," he whispered, "tell me, any interesting projects you've been working on lately?"

The man looked like he was about to nod then shook his head.

The changeling glared holes into the man's eyes and the man gulped.

"I'll give you one last chance. Been doing any interesting jobs lately?"

Sven stared at Beast Boy until Beast Boy threw his shades to the ground and intense green eyes looked into the fearful, wimpy brown ones.

"Itwasn'tmyfaulthemademedoitandIdidn'tmeantohurtan yoneI'msorryifIdidanythingtooffendyou," the man said in one large rush.

Beast Boy threw the man onto the ground and practically bellowed, "WHERE'S THE DELIVERY GOING? WHERE IS SHE?!"

The man almost started crying.

Beast Boy once again grabbed the smaller man's shirt and lifted him up to eye level.

"I . . . it's u . . . underneath t . . . the pa . . . paperc . . . clip f . . . facto . . . o . . . ry," the man sobbed.

Beast Boy looked into the man's closed eyes in disgust and absolute hate.

"No wonder Slade got to you so easily. You better be telling the truth, or I'll be back. If she's hurt, I'll be back. If she's gone, I'll be back. If you run, I'll find you. Tell anyone I was here, and I'll be back. And trust me, we both don't want that to happen."

Then Beast Boy knocked his forehead against the other man's and the man fell to the floor in unconsciousness. Beast Boy winced.

"Ow. Now I know why Robin hates headbutts."

Then Beast Boy snuck out of the building disguised as a green cat and headed back to Titans Tower.

* * *

Cyborg knew Beast Boy just as well as Beast Boy knew himself and knew exactly what Beast Boy had done and was doing that night. That's why he took a break from looking at the computers and after putting a blanket on Starfire who was on the couch again, he sat at the kitchen island drinking a Coke and waited for his friend to walk in the building.

Sure enough he got an alert on his system that told him someone had entered the building like it always did, regardless of if the person had correctly entered the code or not.

A green ferret slinked it's way onto the counter and turned into Beast Boy sitting on the counter dressed in his normal Doom Patrol costume.

"You did what you specifically said you weren't going to do," Cyborg said.

"I can't sit here and do nothing while they're doing who knows what to Raven. Plus, your info helped a lot." Beast Boy shrugged as he jumped off the counter and dug in the fridge. "I know where Slade's new lair is."

Beast Boy had a thing of orange juice in one hand and tofu in the other and closed the fridge with his foot.

"Still, B. I don't like you going out at night with that creepy armored guy running around and apparently taking Titans."

Beast Boy shook his head and chugged the Orange Juice out of the carton. He wiped his mouth before he continued.

"When Slade wants something, he gets it. It's been almost a full month, and there have been no attacks or raids or anything. That means he wanted just Raven. The only thing I can associate Raven and Slade with is Trigon, and I don't want to."

Cyborg stood up. "We should get Robin and wake Star. She's been asleep for seven hours and Hair Gel needs sleep, so we just need to get this over with."

Beast Boy nodded. "You get Robin. I'll get Star."

Cyborg shrugged and left while Beast Boy crammed the last of his midnight snack in his mouth and put it all back in the fridge. He walked over to where Starfire was softly snoring and gently shook her awake.

She, apparently slept lightly with very sharp reflexes and punched him across the room. He groaned and sat up.

"Dude! What was that for?"

Before Starfire could apologize in a long tirade of concerns, Beast Boy said what he'd been wanting to say.

"Star. We know where she is. We're going to find Raven."

* * *

"Are you sure this is it?" Robin asked everyone aloud.

Cyborg looked at the map linked to his system. "Well, it's the only part of the city that's underneath the paperclip factory."

They reached an intersection in the nasty tunnels and paused as Robin held his light and shined it down each tunnel which seemed to go way farther than the light travelled.

"Great. This is wonderful. And here I was, waiting for Slade-bots," Robin muttered.

"I'm guessing his first line of defense is this maze of sewers while the second line of defense is Slade-bots. Then the third line of defense is Slade himself which then means if we find Slade, we find Raven," Beast Boy said.

Cyborg looked at him more than slightly impressed. "Man, B. You've gained something smart."

Beast Boy didn't reply because that one comment brought back other comments made by a certain someone about his lack of brainpower.

"Slade would hide something in plain sight. Branch out, but not too far and search the walls and the floor through the water," Robin instructed.

The Titans did so and it wasn't long before Starfire found something significant, and exactly what they were after.

They all gathered around her to find among a thick cluster of graffiti the words "SW forever" inside a heart. Robin looked at it carefully.

"This has to be it. The big man in Gotham told me Slade's real name. Those are his initials." Robin pushed the heart which immediately sank into the wall, and the whole section of the wall slid to the side like a door, and revealed a long blue hallway with many door on the sides.

Robin and Beast Boy looked at each other before shrugging and stepped onto the clean yellow tiled floor. A low beep was heard before the closest eight doors opened, and Slade-bots poured into the hall. "That's what I'm talking about," Robin said. He pulled out his bow staff. "Beast Boy, transform into something small and find Raven before Slade gets here. Titans, GO!"

* * *

Slade had just left the new room after giving her her dinner which she refused to touch this time, regardless of her aching stomach.

Raven had had enough of Slade and realized that if she wasn't healthy, she wasn't of use. So she refused to eat, even if it meant getting sick.

This time, the speech had been about how she was moved due to a change in plans, new unexpected difficult variable, he safety again, blah blah blah.

Raven was again practicing her self defense when she was about to stop and start her nightly meditation, when the doors slid open. Her back was to the door so she sighed and without turning around said, "I swear, you make one more comment about my safety and I'll find a way to stick your head in a portal, close the portal and cut your filthy, annoying, deceiving, ungrateful -"

Raven turned around and her words choked in the back of her throat. "B . . . Beast Boy?" she whispered.

He was taller, more muscular but in a lean sort of way, but he had the same grin. The same eyes. Even if they looked a little worn out.

"Hey, Raven."

She just stood there. "I get it. This is some sort of test. Some sort of trick. Good one, Slade. I'm rolling with laughter."

She turned around, but Beast Boy grabbed her arm and turned her to him again. "It's me Rae! It's really me! Remember when I covered Starfire with that prank balloon? Or when you talked about respecting that I eat fake meat. Or how about when I said on the roof that day that you were a great friend? My friend." His voice continued to get quieter until he ended with a whisper.

Raven searched his eyes and saw an intense desperation in them that Slade wouldn't have been able to create.

She put a hand on his face which had gotten a little thinner from who knows what. She had no idea how long he had been worried about her and how much he had gone through.

"It's you," she whispered.

Then she did something Beast Boy never expected Raven to do at all.

* * *

Bam. 'Nother cliff hanger. :P

Sorry, peeps.

But keep giving reviews.

And Kaarlinaa, I think I granted your request to a certain extent :P

Till next time,

-Belgaria


	6. Chapter 6

**Bargains and Balance**

Thank you for all the reviews! Every author appreciates input and it means a lot. Please keep it up!

I do not own Teen Titans.

* * *

Raven started sobbing and embraced Beast Boy tightly under his arms. Beast Boy tensed in surprise but embraced her lovingly and whispered comforts into her hair.

"We need to get out of here," he said softly as he reluctantly pulled away. He put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arm's length to inspect her. He made sure she was okay physically before questioning what Slade had done to her mentally. But he decided to think about that later.

"You're okay. You're with me now. Nothing and no one is going to hurt you ever again, you hear me?" Beast Boy said almost sternly.

Raven nodded and her face returned to it's familiar expressionless state of resolve besides the faint tear trails that showed evidence of her broken walls of resolve.

She pulled up her hood. "I'm going to kick that man into high heaven and watch as he falls into hell."

Beast Boy grinned. "Let's go."

He pulled her out into the hallway and as she exited the now familiar blue room, Raven felt a tingling sensation go down her spine.

_Please let me have my powers,_ she prayed silently.

Her hand never left his as they made a few turns down the seemingly endless hallways until she heard the painstakingly familiar cry of "BOO-YA!" coming from down the halls.

Raven was the one who ended up dragging Beast Boy the rest of the way down the hall to her group of friends. Raven found herself doing something incredibly rare for her (besides crying). Raven was grinning and she never thought she would stop.

"RAVEN!" Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire cried out in unison. They all practically tackled her in a big group hug and Raven couldn't help but feel as if she'd never been more happy to be suffocated.

The moment was amazingly perfect. But then that moment ended.

They all froze as they heard the sound of metal boots hitting the floor, accompanied by the menacingly melodramatic slow clap.

"Well, done Robin. I didn't expect you to be able to defeat my new line of robots, but you have surprised me before."

The Titans broke apart, and Raven made a point of standing shoulder to shoulder with Beast Boy, who put a hand on her back in reassurance.

"Slade. What do you want?" Robin growled as he pulled out his bow staff.

"Now, now. What's the fun in ruining a surprise? You must have learned that by now." Slade looked completely relaxed and it was having its desired effects on the Titans.

"Why did you take Raven? Looking for a new apprentice?" Robin practically taunted.

Slade looked Raven up and down and shrugged. "As much as I respect her and her skills, I require her for a different purpose. One that is especially important to me. Now if you wouldn't mind, I need the girl."

Beast Boy, forgetting that Raven disliked being babied and overprotected, thrust her behind him so he stood between Slade and Raven. "No!"

"How touching. The changeling has a heart. But I do need the girl. I'll ask once more before I hurt you more than you ever thought possible," Slade said as he took a step forward.

Robin called his bluff. "I'm afraid that we can't do that. Titans, GO!"

Starfire flew up and pelted Slade with star bolts, but as always, he dodged each and every one of them easily, just as he did Cyborg's laser. Beast Boy turned into a mouse and snuck between Slade's legs before turning into a rhino and throwing the startled criminal into the air.

Slade hit the roof of the hall with incredible force, and fell to the ground on the brink of unconsciousness. Beast Boy turned into a himself again and started pelting Slade without mercy.

"Beast Boy!" Robin yelled to his teammate.

Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire could only watch in amazement and surprise as Beast Boy let out a fury of fists, his face in hardly controlled rage. They all knew that if he had been pushed just a little bit, that Beast inside of him would come out like water bursting from a dam.

"You. Are. Not. Going. To. Hurt. Her. Ever. AGAIN!" Beast Boy said every word with every punch he gave. By now his knuckles had gone numb, but he didn't care.

Robin tried to restrain Beast Boy, but it didn't work, for Beast Boy would just throw him off onto the floor with some sort of newfound strength. Eventually, Slade found an opening in the onslaught and brought up his right hand and held Beast Boy's fist where in mid air.

"You surprise me changeling, and you have done much damage to me, more than you realize. But luckily, I have some sort of foresight." Slade said in an even voice as if he hadn't been hurt at all. Beast Boy recoiled. This wasn't natural.

Slade pulled his mask off revealing a small screen with the real Slade standing in front of the camera. "I admire your fury, green one."

Beast Boy let out a cry of frustration and fell to his knees with his head in his hands. Raven fell to the ground next to him, pulled her hood down and pulled his head into her shoulder as she put her cheek into his dark green hair.

No one questioned Raven's uncharacteristic actions of compassion, but was sorely focused on Robin's arch-enemy.

"Now, Robin. You should know me better than to bluff about a serious deal. I meant what I said. Something's going to happen that will tear your team apart." Then the screen turned black and started to smoke as the insides of the computer burned to a crisp.

"GAAAAAGGGGHHH!" Robin yelled in a frustration that rivaled Beast Boy's.

Starfire put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said what she knew everyone needed to hear. "Let us go, dear friends. Tonight should not be consumed with the anger."

* * *

"Thought I'd find you here."

Beast Boy didn't open his eyes, and didn't turn around as he heard the voice he had been missing more than anything in the world the past few weeks.

"I needed space."

Raven sat next to her friend in the same spot they had before she had been taken; legs hanging off the edge of Titan's Tower's roof looking at the lit city that contrasted with the inky blackness of night.

"I go here a lot, you know. When I need space after you and Cyborg."

Beast Boy gave a small smile.

"So what's eating your consciousness right now?" Raven asked him as she scooted so that their arms were touching.

Beast Boy sighed. "You know how both Robin and I were incredibly angry and frustrated after seeing Slade?"

Raven only hummed in response.

"We were both angry and frustrated, but for different reasons. I know it sounds foolish but . . . but I wanted him to pay for what he'd done for you. Draining your powers, leaving you in a room, taking you from m . . . . everyone. I just wanted to rip him in half and it took every ounce of me not to let that Beast within me out into the open again. I feel useless. Hopeless." He put his head in his hands again, and Raven though she saw a tear slide from the corner of his eye and fall off his chin.

"I know how you feel," she said quietly. "What it's like to be useless. To feel useless. To want revenge and not being able to get it. To fear for everyone you meet."

Beast Boy lifted his head and for the second time since he had gotten her back, looked her full in the eyes, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

Those eyes, they spoke his heart without him being able to. They showed compassion, confusion, guilt, anger, loss, and something else part of her recognized and part of her didn't want to.

"He said something bad was going to happen. He had a backup plan, Rae. He wasn't there himself so he knew this was going to happen. It was a trap. This was part of his plan, and I feel useless because I don't know what's going to happen."

She searched his eyes for something to build a statement off of. To help ignite some sort of spark of hope and confidence in this broken Beast Boy her heart broke for.

Raven, without thinking about what she was doing (_I'll get you later, Brave!_) put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her as she leaned in.

Their lips brushed each others before their communicators started buzzing. Raven pulled back and, hoping they both weren't blushing too much, opened her communicator and with a growl of annoyance that Beast Boy snickered at said, "What?"

Cyborg was on the other side and obviously in the garage where his T-Car was (they could see it in the background) and he said as if he had just had a revelation, "Guys! Meet me in the infirmary! I need to check for something important! Cy, out!" He hadn't given them time to say anything.

They sat for a couple of seconds in an almost awkward, but strangely comfortable silence before Beast Boy gave a low chuckle.

"What?"

He snickered. "I was totally right. You know exactly how to cheer someone up, Rae."

She only blushed and smiled.

* * *

"Poke me one more time with that needle, and I swear, no matter how much I missed you, I'll send you to another dimension."

Cyborg grinned sheepishly as he retracted the needle. "That was the last test."

Beast Boy, who had already been stuck with nine needles already hadn't figured out what Cyborg was doing. "C'mon, dude. Please tell me what you're doing!"

"I have to check everyone for any microbiological intruders inside you guys. Remember how Slade got Robin to be his apprentice? Yeah, we aren't going to let something like that happen again."

"What about Starfire and Robin?" Beast Boy whined.

Cyborg waved a hand. "I'll check them tomorrow. Starfire was having a pretty intense talk with Robin so I decided not to interrupt them."

Raven scowled at the obvious irony and Beast Boy looked more than a little annoyed himself. "So what about Raven's powers?" he asked Cyborg.

"As far as I can tell, her connection to her demonic side is still there. It's like a drained battery. It just needs to be recharged. WHICH MEANS," he looked at Raven, "you can't use them until you're back, otherwise it'll extend your waiting period to get them back."

"So, no missions," Raven summed up in a sentence.

"Yeah. No missions. At least for another month," was Cyborg's reply.

"Great." Raven sounded _thrilled._

__"Okay, you guys. Just wait another fifteen minutes and the results will come up. I need to use the little robot's room, holler when everything's ready." Then he left the room.

Beast Boy looked at Raven and tilted his head like a puppy asking a silent question. Raven gave a small smile.

"Don't think anything new, string bean. I'm still confused as well," Raven told him.

Beast Boy grinned in his way that he does and showed her his white fang. "Me? Nah. Never."

She threw a pillow at him.

* * *

How's that for 'quite a bit'?

That took forever to write. Not to mention I'm picky when it comes to grammar so, yeah.

KEEP REVIEWING, MY LOYAL PEEPS!

-Belgaria


	7. Chapter 7

**Bargains and Balance**

The offer still stands to see who can guess the meaning of the title. The one person who did attempt to guess was close, but not quite there.

I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter VII**

Raven was sitting on her bed with a book when it had happened. It wasn't much, but she recognized the feeling and the sensation.

First, her hands started tingling as though they were falling asleep. Then the sensation crawled up her arms to her shoulders, and encompassed her entire body.

Raven dropped the book, and clutched her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself in a void. So black, she couldn't see herself, regardless if she waved a hand in front of her face.

There wasn't a breeze or a stable ground which she could stand or sit on. Raven was just hovering in the void, surrounded by the sound of deep, rumbling, amused chuckle.

"You were gone!" Raven shouted into the void.

"I am never gone. For I am TRIGON!" her father roared. "You're magic surprised me, I admit, daughter. But I have a plan. I always have a plan. You will be of use once more."

"I'll never help you! Ever!" Raven tried to use her powers, but immediately felt dizzy.

"Heh heh heh. Child, you can't even use your powers to protect the ones you love." Raven felt something go behind her and she whirled around but couldn't see anything. "But if you do what I request, then you won't have to worry about your friend's safety."

"Yeah. I know. Because you'll kill them!" Raven countered.

Trigon merely chuckled as if she had made a cute joke. "No. I give you my word that they will be untouched if you do what I request of you."

Raven just growled. "Bite me."

"Fine. Dismiss me. But I warn you, daughter: you will come crawling back to me for your friends sakes." Raven felt hit breath on her ear. "Especially. Your. New. _Friend,"_ he breathed.

"NO!" Raven whirled around with her hand out to strike him in the face but only fell with her momentum and opened her eyes to find herself tumbling off of her bed.

"Raven!" she looked up and found two concerned green orbs looking at her carefully.

Raven hadn't seen him since yesterday when Cyborg had given them the all clear. She had gone to her room for the rest of the afternoon, and Beast Boy had gone to find Robin. The next morning, she had come out of her room to find that Beast Boy had gone to help Robin double check the upgrades that Cyborg had made the day before she had been taken.

"Raven!" he said again.

They hadn't really had time to talk since . . . well since then.

"Ra -"

"I'm fine. Just, a lot on my mind I suppose," she said as she sat up with a groan. "My head hurts, though."

He was looking at her funny.

"What?"

"You're not telling me everything, Rae." Beast Boy looked almost scared. "Last time, I think you knew something was going to happen, but you never said anything. Looked what happened after."

Raven stood up and pulled her hood up. "We're all going to be fine," she said shortly before phasing into the floor.

Beast Boy was left standing in the room he'd only been in maybe twice before. He blinked. "This can't be good."

* * *

It was their first battle since Raven had returned. And Raven was forced to stay in the tower. So she watched the news on the Titans Television

And she really wished she had been there. Because she knew why they were getting their butts kicked.

It was a monster she had only seen in her dreams. A monster of nightmare and shadows. It looked like it had been created sorely out of Raven's dark magic, but it wasn't her. It looked a lot like a dragon, chimera, and octopus all warped into one, and when it hit Robin in the forehead, and he fell to the ground with green pus oozing out of the impact area, she knew this thing was incredibly poisonous even though it didn't look like a solid creature.

Everything the Titans threw at the monster went directly through it, for Raven knew the thing was literally made of shadows. Only her magic would've been able to so something to it, but she wasn't there. And whoever had sent the monster, she knew exactly who, had that knowledge in mind.

Starfire was struck in the stomach by a tentacle in a whip like fashion, and instead of a poisonous effect, it left a deep, clean gash that slowly started seeping blood as she fell to the ground unconscious.

Raven winced. This was absolutely horrible.

Cyborg pressed a button on his wrist and the metal on his body expanded and unfolded until he was covered in some sort of metal armor which held against the monster's attacks.

Beast Boy waited until Cyborg distracted the monster and closed his eyes tightly as if concentrating. Then he transformed into the Beast, causing Raven to give a small gasp. When had he . . . ?

The Beast dove at the creature, but sailed straight through. The monster roared and the last thing Raven saw before one of it's tentacle-like things made contact with the news' camera was Cyborg yelling Beast Boy's name and a great white light flashed in the middle of the street.

Not too long after, Raven's communicator rang and as she floated to the infirmary to get everything ready, she opened it up to see Cyborg's exhausted face.

"Hey, Rae."

"Cyborg! Is everyone okay?" _Is Beast Boy okay?_

_"_I don't really know. Robin's literally looking paler by the second, Starfire has already lost a lot of blood, and Beast Boy . . ."

Raven's heart lurched in her chest. She paused halfway through the infirmary door. "What, Cyborg? Why did you stop?"

Cyborg finished his sentence slowly as he drove his T-Car. "BB . . . is, well, as the light flashed, no one could see anything and he knew what I had planned, I called his name, and he said okay, and . . . Raven, Beast Boy -"

"He's alive, right? Tell me he's in that car with you," Raven demanded. She still hadn't moved an inch.

"He's alive. And he's in the car with me. He's unmarked, but he's not here, here. Raven, his mind . . . he won't wake up."

* * *

Beast Boy was in a meadow. The grass waved in the wind like the ocean, and the insects buzzed around from plant to plant peacefully.

"Where am I?" Beast Boy asked aloud.

The ground rumbled and Beast Boy was thrown off balance and fell on his butt. The earth stopped shaking and the green changeling shook his head.

_Probably from under ground._ He tried to transform into a mole to see what was happening under his feet, but when he looked down at himself, nothing had happened.

"Great. No powers in this place, huh?"

Beast Boy saw something strange over the top of the hill next to him, and walked to the top of the hill. He saw a forest stretching out beyond what he could see.

Then something gleamed in the woods. Beast Boy felt something tug at him, and resolved to go to it.

Beast Boy honestly had no clue where he was going, or why he was going towards the strange light source, but he eventually found himself at the entrance to a cave. From what he could tell, it was deep and dark, but his animal powers gave him some decent night vision.

Beast Boy went for it and entered the cave. Once he was encompassed in blackness, he was surrounded by the rumble of a deep, demonic chuckle.

* * *

Raven and Cyborg had patched up Starfire and Robin.

Bird Boy, as Cyborg called him on and off, had been close to death. The poison had entered his blood stream and had caused his throat to swell so that the oxygen entering his system was limited. Raven had used a special machine Cyborg had made to suck all of the poison out, then had put fresh blood into Robin's body. The Boy Wonder had looked practically asleep when she had finished with him.

Cyborg had worked on Starfire. He had stitched up the wound, after cleaning it of course, and then he had put her own Tamaranian blood inside her that he had been collecting over the course of the past two years. It barely did the job.

Beast Boy was more difficult. He hadn't been touched physically, and all Cyborg could do was put a thick blanket over his best friend's trembling form.

Raven had then sat down next to Beast Boy's cot as the three Titans lay unconscious.

"So what did the thing do to him, Rae?" Cyborg asked the cloaked empath.

She looked just as lost as he felt, but answered in her monotonous voice she used when she had a lot of thoughts and emotions running through her head.

"If that monster is what I think it is, it probably did what I did to Dr. Light, but on a completely different scale. I made Light face his worst fears. That monster trapped Beast Boy inside his own mind with his fears and thoughts. And if I'm not mistaken, something much worse than that."

Cyborg could only stand in silence, watching his dear friend stoke Beast Boy's hair absentmindedly.

"So B is in a coma?" he asked.

Raven hesitated before answering. "Yes, and no. I just hope he wakes up soon."

* * *

"He got there first!"

"Do not fret. We can play off of this."

"But, sir, how will you be able to bargain with him if you don't have her?"

Slade slammed his fist into his chair's armrest. "I don't want to hear your voice at the moment, you sniveling coward and fool! Ordering what we needed in plain daylight, letting the changeling get to your house!"

The man looked more stunned than afraid. Slade hadn't ever had an outburst before.

"It doesn't matter," he continued in his cool tone. "I have different plans. If he could eliminate the Titans for me, the plan would be much simpler."

"And the girl?"

"He wouldn't hurt a hair on her. Not yet. We need the gem again. But first, we need something to get her to come to us before he gets her to go to him first."

"Code 276?"

"Excellent idea. Sven, launch Code 276. The gem will be nothing but a shell when I'm done with her.

* * *

Just when you thought everything was okay. Now Raven is against the intellectual torment of Slade, and the pure evil that's her father. Seems hard :P

Reviews, peeps. You know the drill.

-Belgaria


	8. Chapter 8

**Bargains and Balance**

**I don't own Teen Titans. **

* * *

His mission was simple. He had gone through it every day since it had been assigned, ready to use what he had created to see what would happen, and hopefully earn the respect he deserved from his friends, his family, his master; people.

His mission was faultless, dangerous, and oh, so very wild. And it was perfect. Very perfect. So perfect that nothing could mess it up. Nothing could change it. Nothing that he had thought of, and he had thought of everything. Hadn't he?

He crept to the edge of the Tower in his specialized boots that he had made that let the molecules in the invisible lasers go straight through his feet. He turned a knob on his ankle and both of the boots made a humming sound as he silently floated upwards along the side of the tower, hidden by the Tower's shadow in the half-moon's light.

He put a small blinking device on the undersides of the "T" and up the vertical sides. He then placed some more of the blinking devices on the roof in an organized pattern. He floated backwards, and admired his careful handiwork.

No matter what angle an individual approached the building from, the almost ant sized devices were practically invisible. He grinned. This was way too easy.

But he was entirely ready to be patient. He had gained a new sense of bitterness in his heart and soul after the green one had gotten into his home. He had realized he was sickening and weak and very vulnerable. Especially after the scorn he received from his master.

But that had changed. Now it was all about revenge. Not about his family nor the people he respected. And so far, everything was perfect. Especially since they had gotten much of the girl's powers.

She was very powerful, and she almost didn't realize it, he mused. The fact of the matter was, she could level the entire city without trying if she desired to. Raise mountains, move buildings, control people (quite literally).

It was almost unbelievable when he had recognized her true potential. Almost. After all, his master had told him about her father and how she got him to leave. Most impressive, indeed.

As he slowly lowered himself down he lurched to a stop at one of the windows and saw something that almost completely changed his plan. But for the better, he reasoned with himself.

He peered closer to see if what he was seeing was real. And it was.

The girl had leaned over and as she stroked the green one's hair, had gently brushed her mouth against his with a whisper of what he guessed was a promise to return soon.

When she had left the room, he only hovered in the same spot as his mind travelled. He shook his head and blinked.

_Her _and _him_?! It was almost impossible.

A grin spread itself across his face. But it was incredibly helpful. He had finally found her true weakness. And here he was thinking it was with the little acrobatic Bird Boy. But it didn't matter. He would get to her by getting him.

Even if the green one was already under the influence of another.

He shook his head and lowered himself to the ground completely and ran off to his small boat. This was better than perfect. This was destiny.

* * *

Raven cupped some water in her hands and threw it into her face to try and wash away the incredible drowsiness that had somehow overtaken her.

The last thing she wanted was to drift off into a nice slumber before her "daddy" decided to give his "blessing" once more. And if her suspicions were correct, her father was already having a nice little conversation with her treasured green . . . friend? She had no idea what to consider him now.

She had kissed him twice. Well, the second time he was unaware, and the first one he was completely stunned, but she knew that he had been pleased it had happened. Anywho, she really hadn't gotten the time to actually see what he thought about it all, and of course, the first mission that happened to occur when she wasn't able to use her powers, Beast Boy was in a supernatural coma in which no one knew what would happen.

Raven dried her face off and put her hood over her head as she exited the bathroom and headed for the roof to think and possibly meditate.

There was a lot to think about. Slade had once again teamed up with her father again as far as she knew, and what was possibly worse, Slade hadn't teamed up with Trigon.

The problem with them still being separate was that she would now have two very powerful beings trying to get her for their own needs, and she knew that they would do whatever necessary to get whatever they needed. Meaning her entire family in the Titans Tower was completely in jeopardy.

Raven made her way to the roof before pausing and then after making the decision, phased into the floor and came up into her room. She needed to talk to someone important right now; someone who would know exactly what to do, and how she should deal with it and Beast Boy and everything in between.

Raven picked up the mirror on her dresser and sat on her bed as she spun it in between her fingers. She held it still, took a deep breath, and felt the familiar tugging sensation that she had never really gotten used to.

Yeah, Raven needed to talk to someone incredibly important. Raven needed to have a little chat with herself.

* * *

Robin was in shambles. He was baffled, angry, unfocused, and although he would never admit it aloud: frightened beyond belief.

Slade had outwardly threatened his family. Again. But something was different this time. Something about Slade was completely different than when Robin had last seen the armored man in the Trigon possessed Earth.

Slade seemed more confident, if that was possible, more thoughtful, more patient, more cunning, and most evil. Slade had stooped to blackmail, Robin had been the victim. But, however, with afterthought, Robin realized that he had fallen for a very convincing bluff. Slade wouldn't have killed his friends, nor even let them endure long periods of torture.

But then, after Trigon and Raven's sixteenth birthday . . . well he had disappeared. Then BAM. He comes back with a force that Robin found impossible.

Robin sat down behind his desk and ran his hair through his gel filled hair that was quickly coming undone.

Slade had taken one of his dearest friends and had held her in a cell and drained her powers until they were almost non-existant. Of course, Slade couldn't completely drain her of her powers without killing her, because her powers came with her demonic side which would always be with her for as long as she lived.

Then the monster had gotten Beast Boy. Robin had known immediately who had sent that thing and he had known that they couldn't beat it. But he had thought that maybe if they could get the upper hand for just a small period of time, possibly the person in charge of the monster would've shown himself in surprise or fear.

But they had returned on top of the small line that separated humans from life and death. Now Beast Boy was stuck in a limbo all by himself.

It had been four days since that had happened, and nothing had changed about the changeling's conditions. Starfire's Tamaranian side had healed her quickly, and Robin had recovered and as soon as he could, had locked himself in his study.

Robin shifted a few files on his desk and booted up his computer. The screen saver was of the Titans Tower.

Robin went to his computer files and a few clicks and passwords later, found himself one click away from something he had avoided for a very long time.

But what he was avoiding had many resources that Robin himself needed.

Someone knocked on the door.

"I'm here," Robin called.

Starfire opened the door (she was the only one who knew the code that could open his door; Raven phased through the door).

"Robin, you have been most upset lately. Do you wish to do the talking about it?" she said softly as she walked up to his desk.

Robin up his head his hands.

"Yes. No. I don't know!" he lifted his head. "I feel like this is my fault for being to forceful. If I had just called off the attack, Beast Boy would still be here, the monster would've disappeared, no one would've gotten hurt. And when I told them to attack the thing that took Raven! Who attacks water?! No one, that's who!"

Starfire stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders and he sat still in his seat. She felt him relax under the soft touch of her hands and she gave a small smile.

"I do not know much of what to say, but what I do know is that you are a leader and a friend. We trust you and we know that your gut of instincts is most correct in its decisions. And remember, we have not lost friend Beast Boy yet," Starfire comforted Robin.

He stood up and faced her with a newfound acceptance. She hadn't really said much, but he knew she had faith in him that he didn't have himself.

"Thanks, Star." He started to walk away but paused as if he had remembered something.

He walked back to her and gave her a nice hug. She pecked him on the cheek as he pulled back.

"You know exactly what to say."

* * *

Beast Boy was terrified and absolutely lost. The amused chuckling had been getting louder until it eventually turned into an all out hysterical laugh.

Beast Boy felt tendrils wrap themselves around him and he suppressed a shudder. They were cold, and blended in with the inky blackness in a way that told Beast Boy that they too were darker than night.

"What . . . what do you want?" Beast Boy called into the darkness.

"Want?" came a deep, soft yet malicious voice. "I want everything. I want what you want, and more. Technology, people to respect me, and a newfound favorite, a blue cloaked _friend._"

Beast Boy was glad it was dark because he flushed at the last comment. "So what are you? My mind? Like in Raven's mirror portal place?"

The voice chuckled again. "No, small one. But yes, to a certain extent. I am your mind but I am myself. I need you to get her."

The way the voice spoke of Raven and the way it said her name told Beast Boy exactly who was talking to him. "Trigon! We. . . we kicked your butt! Raven kicked your butt! You were gone!"

"Ah, small changeling. But I am absolutely here." Beast Boy felt himself being lifted by the tendrils and stop as he felt warm breath on his face. "Inside your mind. Inside your thoughts, and almost one with you."

Beast Boy opened his mouth in a silent scream as he was suddenly faced with four impossibly large red eyes in the incredibly darkness.

He could hear the demon smile as he spoke. "You may be wondering why I would need someone such as yourself."

"No, not really."

"Well," Trigon continued as if nothing had been said, "I need my daughter to become absolutely hopeless to the point where she'll believe that she has nothing to lose to help me. I'll come back and everyone and everything will be as I desire it to be."

"Why tell me this?" Beast Boy asked boldly.

"Because when you wake up, you won't be yourself. When you wake up, you'll be dead, and I'll have a body once more."

Beast Boy gulped. "I . . . I won't let you!"

"Foolish mortal! Do you have no brain? I blocked off your chakra from which your powers come from! You can't fight me!"

Beast Boy felt something in him growl in defiance, and he knew exactly what he was going to do, even if it took years.

"You may have blocked my powers, but it's my brain, and I have more than just my powers within me. I also have a Beast. Trigon, meet Frank."

And with that, Beast Boy let the Beast take over.

* * *

"R . . . Rae. . . don't . . . . can't . . . . don't hurt . . . my . . . Ra -"

Raven watched in what can only be described as fascination as Beast Boy burped and lay still and quiet once more. The small changeling hadn't moved or said anything since the battle, and the first thing that came out of that pie hole of his was her name. Or her nickname anyway.

She felt confused, exasperated, and proud at the same time.

Beast Boy was thinking of her. And that only meant one thing: that he had already encountered her father. But there was one thought that overrode that scary little thought: he had met Trigon, but he was fighting back.

And that just made her smile.

* * *

Character development, some plot movement, nothing too big. Just a longer chapter after the long wait. :P

Review! The review rate has slowed down so much that my grandma's turtle could catch it. C'mon, guys!

Thank you, you loyal supporters! (I'm just kidding, but seriously, review.)

Farewell, loyal peeps. 'Till next time!

-Belgaria


	9. Chapter 9

**Bargains and Balance**

Yeah, sorry for the long wait. School kinda happened.

I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

Chapter IX

Raven watched impatiently as Cyborg injected the last of whatever he had been injecting into Beast Boy's body for the past week.

"I think that's all I can do for today, Rae," Cyborg said as he washed his hands.

Raven sighed. "Thanks, anyway. Do you know why he went into the coma?"

Cyborg looked thoughtful for a second before shrugging. "I admit I don't. It really bothers me. Probably more than you being taken by Slade. No offense."

Raven didn't say anything.

Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder and his eyes met hers. "He'll come back, don't worry. B can definitely fight back when he wants to."

Raven let her head fall back so that she was looking at the ceiling. "I just wish my powers would come back soon. If I had my powers, then Beast Boy would be healed and safe."

Cyborg looked at her questioningly. "He's only in an coma. It's no big deal. Really. He has started twitching and talking."

Raven looked into Cyborg's troubled face and knew that he was more concerned than he let on. She also knew that Cyborg had a pretty good picture of the chaos inside her, regardless of how she looked on the outside.

Plus, it was true. Beast Boy had started twitching in his sleep and if she listened carefully to his intelligible mumbling, she could often make out her name and the occasional threat towards an unseen foe.

_I wish it was only just a coma,_ she thought.

She unconsciously ran her fingers through Beast Boy's hair; a habit that had somehow formed in her time next to his side.

"Somehow, I think this is way worse than just a coma," Raven said quietly.

Cyborg merely looked at her in genuine curiosity before he slowly walked to the door. "I'm going to help Robin sort out his computer problems. The guy uses it so much, the hard drive just burns. Don't forget to care for yourself, Rae. I understand that BB is important to you, just . . . don't lose yourself."

Raven flushed a little at his comment, but he didn't notice because he was gone.

Cyborg had made an excellent point, but it made her think about something that had been eating away at the back of her brain. Just how important was Beast Boy to her?

Raven sighed and went to the middle of the room where she sat down and levitated in deep meditation.

She was going to have a wonderful talk with herself.

* * *

Beast Boy had the upper hand on Trigon for a long while. Well, not Beast Boy but the Beast.

Trigon was completely surprised when Beast Boy had let the Beast that was always inside him go, and had been knocked back into the black void, red eyes gone from the Beast's sight as Trigon had closed his eyes from the impact of the Beast.

They had rolled, scratched, clawed, punched, and even slapped before Trigon clutched the Beast in two enormous hands and his four eyes looked at the Beast in amusement.

"I'll admit. No one has ever gotten to me like that. I congratulate you, green one," Trigon chuckled. "But there's no way that you can best me."

The Beast gave way, and Beast Boy was left glaring at Trigon without any lost dignity.

"I won't let you get to me," he snarled.

Trigon's hands grew cold, and Beast Boy felt the familiar cold, chilling sensation that he felt when Raven transported him. Trigon was using his powers. Sure they were weak, but his powers were still there.

"Oh, when I'm done with you, you'll let me. I may be almost dead when I finish with you, but I will most certainly be alive. The same can't be said for you."

* * *

If anyone was to go into the room where the young green man and the strange young purple haired woman was meditating, they'd first take in the strange appearances of the room's occupants.

However, if anyone was to go into the room, they'd see the green boy's hand's slowly becoming encompassed in a black cloud of magic, and his whole body twitching involuntarily.

But as Beast Boy's body began to shake further into what was looking like a seizure, Raven opened her glowing white eyes and as she stood up, blasted the boy with a beam of magic and the boy sat up, with his eyes closed.

Raven's eyes faded back to their normal color and she stumbled a bit, close to falling unconscious. She was too tired to gasp, and only managed to see him open one eye before she fell to the floor.

As he opened his left eye, all Raven could see was a red iris, staring into the wall across the room.

* * *

Raven had closed her eyes, the last thing that she saw was Beast Boy, lying on his bed, his fingers twitching just a little. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the middle of a field.

"Great. It's always this one first," Raven said to herself.

"RAVEN!" she heard an incredibly cheerful voice shriek from behind her.

"It's a good thing I never get this happy. It's scary," she muttered.

Raven turned around and found herself in front of a pink cloaked her. The emotion was beaming, but as Raven studied her further, she noticed that Happy had some darkness underneath her eyes.

"You . . . are you okay?" she asked the emotion.

The pink cloaked Raven's smile diminished a little. "Well, it's hard to be happy all the time when you're worrying too much. Poor Timid is more herself than usual. But it's okay because we kissed him!" She started to skip around Raven.

Raven merely glared straight in front of her. This was a trip she hadn't necessarily been waiting for.

"So, why haven't you been using the mirror? Not many people use meditation over their shortcut, you know," the emotion asked Raven.

Raven just shrugged. "I'm going to find -"

"The Book Worm? She's been spending a lot of time with a certain little wise woman lately. I'll go with you!"

Raven winced inwardly. "No. It's okay."

Pink Cloak just grinned. "Okay, then! Have fun!" Then she cartwheeled off.

Raven knew exactly where she was supposed to go, after all this was her mind. It didn't really take long to find her two most sought after emotion's favorite hideout; her mind's memory filled library.

"Ah, it's good to see you again," a yellow cloaked Raven stepped forward and put a hand on Raven's shoulder.

Raven gave a small smile. "I guess it's good to see you as well. I came about -"

"About a way to help Beast Boy escape from your father? I have gone through as many possible scenarios as I could and I have determined that the most likely reason our father has targeted Beast Boy specifically is not only to get to us, but to use Beast Boy to take away any happiness that would link us to the world."

Raven and Knowledge sat across from each other at a table stacked with books. "I think there's a solution, but it will require every single one of us to accomplish it, and even then, it will be open to many possible faults." She fixed her glasses.

Raven just sat there, quietly listening. "I've done that before."

"No. I mean _every _emotion. Even Rage. And I didn't expect you to expect this to be easy."

Raven sighed. "Can you help me?"

Knowledge hesitated before nodding. "Yes. But you will be required to handle the tougher emotions. The harder ones to deal with. I think that'll be Timid, Rude, Sloth, and of course, Rage. I'll get the others."

Raven opened her mouth but nothing came out. She shut her mouth. "Fine," she growled.

Knowledge nodded and went out of the book filled room.

* * *

She had dealt with Sloth who, after complaining about the effort it would take to do such a thing, finally agreed on Beast Boy's behalf. Raven had then talked to Rude who, after interrupting her constantly with belches and questions about her secrets, had agreed to help if she would be able to burp at least once a day. (Raven was not going to let that happen.)

Now it was time for Timid. Raven stepped through a stone archway and found herself in a completely different setting than the place before. It was nice, but kind of bland. Comforting, yet there was a lot missing.

Raven stood in the middle and putting her pointer fingers on her temples, concentrated. Eventually, a grey cloaked Raven came out with her shoulders hunched over, and an expression on her face that Raven knew she had almost never worn herself.

The last time she had seen Timid was when she was being held captive by Slade. Timid had been so skiddish that whenever Raven coughed into her elbow, the cloaked emotion would flinch and take a step back.

Now with Raven herself encompassed in immense worry over Beast Boy and the fate of the Titans (especially the fact that all of it was essentially her fault) she didn't expect Timid to show at all.

But nevertheless, the emotion had come. And she was the image of worry, concern and fear.

"A . . . are y . . . you ma . . . mad a . . . at m . . . me?" Timid stuttered.

Raven took a deep breath and forced a kind smile onto her face. "No, I'm not mad at you. Actually, I've never really been mad at you before. I came because I need your help."

Timid took a step back. "I . . . I don . . . don't think it'll b . . . be sa . . . safe."

Raven took a tiny step forward and Timid flinched as if she had been struck. "I don't want to lie to you and say that it'll go perfectly, but if I don't get your help, then Beast Boy will die."

Timid's eyes shone with unshed tears. "Beast Boy? Die?"

Raven wasn't stupid. She had noticed the reoccurring pattern in her emotions. The one thing that had convinced everyone to help was the promise of Beast Boy's ensured survival.

"We both don't want that to happen do we?" Raven asked her softly as she felt Timid's impact inside her and saw it in front of her.

"B . . . but wha . . . what about h . . . he . . . _her?_" Timid whispered the last word.

Raven understood her clone's concern, and put her hand on Timid's shoulder. "I'll deal with her. You won't ever have to encounter her again, that I promise."

Timid hesitated before she nodded. "Okay. I'll help."

Raven smiled and watched as the emotion faded from view. Her smile faded as she realized her next mission. Next up, Rage.

Raven walked until she encountered an archway constructed of mossy stone and she went through it.

The place was the same as it had been when Beast Boy and Cyborg had infiltrated it. Of course, there weren't angry ravens trying to attack her. But the angry aura was still there, and Raven felt it like a winter blanket.

She put her pointer fingers on her temples and once again, concentrated. Almost immediately, she heard someone approach behind her.

"Yes?" a testy voice asked from behind her.

Raven slowly and calmly turned around to face a red cloaked clone of herself standing behind her. Unlike the last time she had had a face to face encounter with Rage, this time the emotion had two violet eyes. Sure they were filled with extreme hate and anger (thanks to her father) but it was nice not to think about what eyes to look into when talking with her.

"Let's cut to the chase. I need your help to save a really good friend of ours. I know you know who I'm talking about and why we are trying to help him. I don't want to work with you anymore than you do with me, but to save him, I need you. And since I can't force you to help and I know you have no sympathy for me, I'm just going to ask you once to help me if -"

"Yes."

"Look, I know you hate me and everyone else, but -" Raven stopped as what Rage had said sank in. "What?"

"You heard my answer. I just . . . don't want to hear your rambling that's all. But just know, this is the first, last, and only time I agree to do anything for anyone else." Rage's voice got quieter, deeper and more threatening as she got closer to Raven.

Raven didn't reveal any emotion on her face and stayed completely silent. Rage just nodded.

Raven only watched in wonder as the emotion glared at her and faded from view. She felt her head start to throb, and fell onto her knees. When she had recovered enough to look up, she found herself back in Knowledge's area with the emotion herself.

"I sense that Beast Boy is in trouble. We need to hurry," the emotion said quickly.

"Wait! I didn't have to convince Rage to do anything. She just decided to help me on her own accord. Why?" Raven asked almost desperately.

Knowledge only smiled. "Sometimes, we have knowledge so deep inside ourselves, we don't know about it until we absolutely know what to look for."

"That makes no sense!" Raven knew that if the Titans heard her this desperate, they wouldn't leave her alone about it, but she really needed an answer.

"I accept your request, and aim to fulfill it," Knowledge only said.

"Wait I need to know wha -" Raven just stopped mid-sentence when the emotion vanished from view.

_Well, this trip wasn't all too helpful, _Raven thought.

That was the last thing she remembered before she felt a torrent of serenity and her mind went blank as the emotions did something she had only read about, but never considered possible.

It was called antatum, when a person was able to balance all of his or her emotions and use their combined powers to use for a limited time. It was different from when she took down her father in all of her white glory, because with antatum, the emotions took every possible source of their individual and general power(s) to an extent that outdid the power Raven gained in her whiteness. Also, in an antatic state, Raven would be almost completely unaware of what she did, because all of her emotions would inhabit a certain part of her brain, leaving almost no room for her herself to take part in whatever her body did in the limited period of time she did whatever.

And therefore, it was open to many possible errors. But Raven didn't want to think about that.

She opened her eyes and only saw fuzzy shapes rather than a clear focused image, but Raven didn't expect her to have complete control of any of her actions.

She saw that Beast Boy's hands were encompassed in black magic, and she watched as he grew closer as her body got nearer. Raven heard herself speak her mantra and a blast of magic hit the green changeling.

For a moment, their minds were linked, and that moment felt like ages. She saw her father's four eyes, and a green shape being held up in a black void.

Trigon only chuckled as he saw her, but was cut off in surprise when she spoke her mantra and he dropped Beast Boy and closed his eyes. The void was momentarily lit, and she saw Trigon being sucked into a sub-section of the cave like place they were in before her head felt like it got split by a hammer.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened her eyes, found that her trance-like state had passed and she was herself.

Raven found herself back, but she also found herself in a state of extreme dizziness that came before fainting. As she fell, she saw that Beast Boy had sat up, and that his left eye, the only one in her vision, had a red iris.

"No . . ." she managed before she hit the ground and lost all consciousness.

* * *

Beast Boy, when he woke up, found that he was okay as far as he could see and feel. It was wonderful to be awake, and he realized that he had a really strong craving for tofu.

Yeah, he was okay.

That was the first thing that he noticed. The second thing that he noticed was that Raven was unconscious and sprawled completely on the ground. And she didn't seem to be breathing.

He tried to walk to her but only fell over, so he crawled to her side and rolled her onto her back. She was really cold.

"Rae," he croaked.

_No one can beat me without paying a price,_ he heard a familiar voice inside his head say.

"What? Where are you? Why are you in my head?! DUDE!" Beast Boy clutched his hair with his hands.

"I can't deal with you right now!"

_You love her, _Trigon's voice had a hint of surprise as if he had just realized this. _That's, that's ridiculous! _He started laughing. _This is too perfect._

Beast Boy ignored him and put his metal communicator near her face. The metal gained some condensation as her warm breath made contact with it.

He opened his communicator with trembling hands.

"Beast Boy?!" Robin exclaimed as he answered the call.

"Robin," Beast Boy rasped, "Raven, she . . . she needs help. I just woke up. There's nothing I know how to do to help her! You need to get here before it's too -" Beast Boy was interrupted by a bought of coughing.

"Beast Boy, are you sure you're okay? You're eyes . . ." Robin trailed off.

"What?" Beast Boy practically squeaked.

"They're different colors. I'll be there with the team shortly. Hang on!" Robin signed off and Beast Boy looked at his reflection in the screen of his Titans communicator.

His left eye was red, while his right was its normal green color.

Before he could formulate a response to what he saw, he heard a moan. Beast Boy looked down.

"Rae?" he rasped once more.

She drowsily blinked her eyes opened. "You're voice. You're eyes. Are you okay?"

He gave a small feeble grin. "I haven't spoken in a while. I sound like I did a year ago, don't I? As for my eyes, well your daddy's still in my head, but he's not going to gain any control of me for a while. How are you?" Beast Boy combed his finger's through Raven's hair.

"I've been better."

"You didn't have to do that to save me. I would've figured something out," Beast Boy said quietly. He attempted a grin, but it was more of a grimace.

Raven sat up carefully and almost fell over but Beast Boy caught her. Well, caught her as well as he could in his condition.

She found herself falling against his chest and sitting in his lap with her hands on his shoulders.

They were both very aware of their positions and one pair of eyes met the other in an almost complete pause.

"You would've been crushed," she practically whispered weakly.

"Thanks for your faith in me," he adjusted his position in an uncomfortable little wiggle.

"I had to save you."

"No, you didn't have to. You wanted to. Why?" Beast Boy pulled his head back a little so that they could look each other square in the eye.

Raven softly put her hand on the back of his neck. "No. I had to."

"But. . . but wh -"

Beast Boy was cut off as Raven pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss that told him more than she could've ever said aloud. He found himself kissing her back, and in that moment, everything was perfect.

* * *

Yea, so I made this chapter really long to make up for the long wait. Sorry, peeps. Gracias to my now partner in crime, CleoArrow.

Review!

-Belgaria


	10. Chapter 10

**Bargains and Balance**

Thanks for all of the support!

I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

"It's quite amazing, really. The green one has delayed our competition. This is most convenient."

Slade was watching the Titans in his multi screen wall in his secondary hideout.

"Sir, I've already planted the devices. Everything is ready."

"Good. We need to get to the girl. And to do that -"

"We need to get to the boy," Slade's little sidekick jerked his head towards one of the lower screens where Beast Boy and Raven had just started their intense kiss.

"You are getting better at this," Slade commented.

"I've found a strong sense of revenge."

"Fine. You can have the boy. But remember, we still haven't gotten all we can from the girl just yet. I need what she can give me."

They both watched as Raven and Beast Boy pulled apart to catch their breath, their foreheads against each other's.

"It's a shame, really. They're almost meant for each other."

* * *

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for that to happen?" Beast Boy asked to Raven, his voice still rough, but deeper than it had been a couple minutes ago.

"I'm guessing a while now," Raven said with a small smile.

Beast Boy was still breathing quite heavily. "Yeah," he said breathlessly.

"Now, promise me you'll be more careful," Raven poked him in the chest. "Or else."

"Okay, okay, Rae. I'll be more careful . . . as careful as you are anyway," Beast Boy cleared his throat.

Raven pulled him down for another small kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked her as he tilted his head.

"Time's sake," Raven said just as Robin and Starfire bursted through the door.

"Friend Beast Boy!" Starfire picked the changeling up with one hand and crushed him in a bear hug.

"Star . . . can't . . . breathe!" Beast Boy wheezed. Starfire pulled away and held him at arm's length. "Friend Beast Boy, you're eyes are much different. Perhaps you have a case of what you call 'Pink Eye'."

"Nah. Just your average demon parasite."

_I will get out you know. Ugh, I made lip contact with my daughter,_ Trigon sounded absolutely disgusted.

Beast Boy wisely chose to ignore him.

Meanwhile, less than three feet away, Robin had helped a shaky Raven to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"I've been in better situations. I brought Garfield here out of his coma and I think my power recharge period has been set back a couple of weeks. Other than that, I'm good."

Robin looked her up and down, looked at Beast Boy, then back at Raven. "So," he began slowly, "Trigon was in Beast Boy and still is in Beast Boy, Slade wants your head, and they aren't working together."

"As far as I know, yes," Raven let out an impatient sigh. "Are we done yet?"

"Hold on. I have a feeling we all need to just lay low for a while with everyone trying to hunt us down. And here I was thinking the Brotherhood of Evil was bad," Robin patted Raven awkwardly on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Where's Cy?" Beast Boy asked as he looked around for his best friend.

"Oh, we had a small jail break. The police had caught the prisoner, who had coincidentally been in between Doctor Light and Johnny Rancid. He's helping them install a new security system."

"Friends, may I suggest that you two take the time to rest. We have been through much and we are not quite done yet," Starfire said kindly to the two.

"Can we go back to our rooms?" Raven asked Robin.

The Boy Wonder hesitated before nodding. "Just don't do anything unnecessary."

"Me?" Beast Boy grinned with his fang pointing out. "Nah."

_Oh, please, _Trigon said irritably.

* * *

Robin was in his office when the message had come. Robin knew how his arch-enemy worked and how Slade loved keeping Robin on his toes.

Robin answered the call and Slade's masked face showed on the screen.

"I see you are alive and well. Tell me, are the two chromatic characters in your group just as?"

"Slade," Robin growled. "What do you want?"

"Now, now. Temper, temper. Just wanting to see how an old . . . accomplice is doing that is all."

"What did you do?"

"Me? I did nothing. However, someone I have grown quite close to may have."

Robin glared at Slade through his mask. "What's that supposed to mean? The man Beast Boy beat up?"

"Yes, and no. I hear you're friend is possessed."

"He's not possessed. Just, a little mind split that's all," Robin said defensively.

"Getting a little childish, I see."

"How did you know about the situation anyway?" Robin asked angrily.

Slade remained his usual cool self. "I came to give you a helpful little warning. The demon inside of your friend will kill him from the inside out if you don't remove him soon. A parasite is always a parasite, and this one drains it's host's life force, quite literally I may add."

"You . . . you're bluffing. Trigon is a demon lord. He doesn't need other's to survive. He's just stuck in Beast Boy's brain for a little while."

"Robin, I haven't ever lied to you before, so why start now?"

"You have the motives to," Robin growled.

"Well, that is true, yes. But I know you don't know how to take this particular parasite out, even with the powerful little demoness at the green one's side. I however do know. So, you can give me the green one, and I'll return him alive completely cured, or you can let him wither away and die, with the 'demon lord' arising again."

Robin just stared cooly into the screen. "There's a catch."

"I'll admit there always is one. But I do promise to give the green one back. But for this to work, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this deal, or I won't help the green one at all." Slade calmly crossed his arms.

Robin's logic went all out as he tried to calculate every possible outcome of this. But as before, Slade had him in a corner and he had no idea why he was in this corner anyway.

"I won't make the deal."

"You will, in due time. I expect you to apologize when we speak next time. Goodbye, Robin." And with that, Slade disappeared from the screen.

Robin sighed and put his head in his hands. "He's bluffing. He has to be bluffing."

* * *

"It seems we always end up here, doesn't it?"

Raven lowered herself from her meditative state and turned around to face him.

"I like it."

Beast Boy looked out across the water in front of him, to his right, and to his left. "It does have a nice view."

He walked up to Raven and due to his new height, had to look down at her a little.

Raven looked back up into his multicolored eyes, expecting some sort of cheesy Beast Boy pick up line, but she was surprised when he asked a serious question.

"Is it normal for me to be talking with your dad on a day to day basis?"

Raven froze for a second in surprise before answering. "He's in your head, right? I guess you don't have a choice."

"So will he ever like, get to control me or anything, because I really don't want that to happen." Beast Boy faced the ocean and Raven did as well and leaned into his shoulder.

"He shouldn't be able to. He's at a really weak point right now. He can see, hear, and feel what you do. Feel physical stuff, not all the emotions that run wild in your brain. Unless they're strong enough."

Beast Boy looked at her in amazement. "You get all of this from books?"

Raven's cheeks turned a light shade of red. "Not all of it."

For the next couple of minutes, they stood in a comfortable silence and watched the sun set from the Tower's roof.

Then Beast Boy broke the silence, but Raven didn't expect him to last that long anyway without saying something.

"So, does this mean you're my girlfriend, or what?" he asked quickly as if she was going to throw him off the roof.

Raven gave a small smile. "Well, I guess so. But I'd like it if we didn't make it known to everyone until you get my dad out of your head, and Slade is leaving us alone again. Robin is too stressed already, Cyborg doesn't have the time to tease us and he'll want to, and Starfire needs to concentrate on what she's supposed to do rather than what her friends are doing."

"No problem. Dude, this is so cool."

Raven's small smile grew a little. She made him face her completely. "If you let it, it gets better."

Beast Boy grinned as he leaned in and put his mouth on hers.

As they were engrossed in their moment, they failed to see or sense the black shadow that sprinted across the roof and into the Tower behind them.

* * *

The next morning, the Titans were almost back to normal. They had gotten the sleep they had needed to recover from everything, and for the moment were bad guy free.

There was an almost peaceful silence as the Titans did what they did during their down time.

However, Robin was actually quite tense, for a reason he couldn't tell anyone else about.

"DUDE! You cheated again!" Beast Boy was complaining about his pointless video game again, and Cyborg was doing a small victory dance.

"I don't cheat, BB."

Raven gave a small smile from behind her book that she was reading.

Yes, the moment was just about perfect. But as the Titan's luck ran, the good moment went away as the Titan's TV made the sound of an incoming conference call.

Robin dashed to the curved couch and grabbed the remote from Beast Boy and answered the call.

"Change of plans, Robin. I've broken our deal and accelerated it further. I need what I requested, and I've realized I need what I requested much sooner than I had guessed. That is why I have injected each and every one of you with an un-curable poison. Well, I can cure it, anyway."

Everyone slowly looked at their leader, but he only had eyes for Slade at the moment. "Why should I agree with you, Slade?" Robin growled.

"Because I can control this virus." Slade showed Robin a small remote the size of a man's thumb and pushed one of the two buttons on the remote. Starfire's eyes rolled back in her head as she went unconscious, her chest rising and falling in small, rapid breaths.

"Think about it." Then Slade signed off.

Robin ignored Slade's ending proposition, and he lifted Starfire's head to check her pulse from where he had fallen to his knees at her side.

"Cyborg, take Star to the infirmary," Robin ordered. Cyborg nodded. "Raven, I want you and Beast Boy to lay low for a while just in case, but I want you two to lay low in the safe room for now. We don't know when Trigon or Slade will attack, and I just want you guys to stay safe."

Beast Boy raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"What if we need to go to the bathroom?"

Raven elbowed him in the gut and he hunched over momentarily with a low grunt.

Robin just rolled his eyes, not that anyone could see him behind his mask, and said, "You aren't confined there, I just highly recommend you stay in there as long as possible."

Robin turned towards the door. "I'm going to my study if anyone needs me."

When the only people left were Raven and Beast Boy, Raven gave Beast Boy a look that told him he was completely stupid.

"Heh heh. Just trying to kill the tension a little," Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck with his signature grin.

_That was beyond corny. That was so cheesy I could almost taste it, _Trigon said unamused.

Beast Boy once again decided to ignore him.

_You can't ignore me forever. I will get out._

"So, what do you think Robin isn't telling us?" Beast Boy asked Raven as they headed towards the safe room.

Raven was feeling a little lazy and was floating an inch off of the ground next to him. "I don't know, but I do know that whatever it is, isn't good at all."

Beast Boy elbowed her playfully. "Remind you of someone?"

Raven huffed.

* * *

That night was almost peaceful. But there was something that wasn't right. Hence the word "almost."

In the safe room, Cyborg had moved two cots for Beast Boy and Raven to sleep on. It was a good call of their team leader to make them sleep in the safe room.

The safe room was, as the name implies, one of the safest rooms in the Titans Tower. It was incredibly protected, and, after some recent upgrading, could be used as a prison, because it made every power completely useless inside of it.

But in Beast Boy's case it only slowed a certain process down.

Slade was correct in saying that every parasite took something away from its host.

If one was to look closely, they'd see Beast Boy's green-ness fade into a lighter shade.

* * *

Raven was inside Beast Boy's mind again, but this time Beast Boy wasn't there. She was in a smaller cave that was slightly lit, and she could easily make out all of the walls and the ceiling and the way out.

At the back of the cave sat her father in all of his red, four eyed, antler headed glory, chained to the wall of the cave.

"I am honored by your visit, daughter."

"Why am I here? You called me here!" Raven answered her own question.

"You are in your little boyfriend's mind. When you freed him from me, well not necessarily freed him completely, you permanently created a small link between your minds. Now, I can see part of your mind as well. Even if it is a little bit . . . fuzzy."

Raven dared to step forwards. "Why do you want me?" she growled. "I fulfilled my purpose. What more could you ask from me?!"

"To help me. To save him."

She didn't need any elaboration to know who he was talking about.

"I think you're chained up nicely. Plus, it'd be another three weeks before I'd be able to get you out anyway. To do what I did now would put _me _in a coma." Raven was planting her feet in the ground.

Trigon gave her a smile full of pointy teeth. "Ah, but here's where you may want to listen. You'll help me, because if you don't, the green one that you know will cease to exist and my presence will slowly burn his soul from the inside out, giving me a new body, and therefore I won't need you for what I had originally planned and you will be expendable."

Raven rolled her eyes and took another step closer so that she was less than a centimeter away from the limit that his chains stretched. "You make it sound as if there's another point to this."

"There is someone else who requires your power for their own personal benefit, which their goal is to get to me so that I can conquer the world for them under their command. Now, you help me out, and I will be able to stop him, and you can banish me to the next seven dimensions over if you wish."

Raven just looked at him with an expressionless face.

There was so many places in his little bargain that he had made that was open to loopholes. Plus, she knew her father. He never kept his word.

"I am just as powerful as you are, _father_," she said the last word mockingly. "I can find a way to help him without _you_."

Trigon grinned. "You'll need my help. And frankly, I do want out. I feel every physical contact he does, and honestly, locking lips with my half human daughter is really quite disturbing."

Raven recoiled in disgust.

"Don't worry, it's all him. You two are almost adorable. But, think about my little deal, daughter. Until next time."

* * *

"Sir, the signal went haywire for the viruses connected to the changeling and the demoness. They must be out of range for the satellite."

Slade sat in his special chair and folded his fingers together. "They're in the safe room. I forgot that Cyborg had upgraded the room quite a bit after the Brotherhood of Evil fight. It is no concern of ours. I am going to use the virus for another purpose."

He arose from his seat and stood next to his little sidekick who was at a computer.

"Have you ever kidnapped anyone before?"

* * *

Review! Sorry it wasn't much. I'm a *little* tired. :P

-Belgaria


	11. Chapter 11

**Bargains and Balance**

**I don't own Teen Titans. **

Okay, the wait has been absolutely horrendous. Sorry about that. I've been doing a lot of thinking and school and such.

* * *

When Raven got up the next morning, she was completely at a loss as to what she was supposed to think or do. It was either she tried to figure out a solution herself and risk Beast Boy's life, or she let Trigon do what he wants to so that Beast Boy could walk away the way he was.

She sat up in her cot and ran a hand down her face with a groan of frustration. This was way too much to deal with. Not only does her father want out, but Slade wanted her. So basically she had to find a way to help Beast Boy and get everyone out alive.

Raven looked around the safe room. The place was pitch black with the exception of a few blinking dots of light. She could hear Beast Boy mumbling in his sleep in the far corner.

_What did he mean when he said he'd burn Beast Boy's soul from the inside out?_

Actually, she was completely aware of the fact that her father could give some people fates worse than death. But this was a new method that she didn't want to test out.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zenthos . . ." Raven muttered. The lights flickered on on their dim setting.

She looked at Beast Boy and almost screamed out loud.

He shifted in his sleep and rolled over onto his other side. Beast Boy then put his hands on his head. His now _brown haired _head.

Her newfound boyfriend had lost his powers. Overnight.

"What is Robin going to say about this?" she groaned.

* * *

Robin was having his own issues to sort out. For instance, Starfire. Her temperature had returned to normal, as had her blood pressure and heart beat. She had been very close to becoming…..well nothing.

At the moment he was in his study. Cyborg had put the virus on hold inside every single one of the Titans for at least ninety six hours. Which meant they had four days to find Slade and put an end to his outrageous scheme.

Robin slammed his fist onto the table, causing everything to rattle. A pen rolled off the table and against the floor.

Not to mention there was an all powerful evil demon residing inside one of his friends. Beast Boy didn't deserve that. No one did for that matter.

The poor kid would probably be better off dead once Trigon had finished him off.

Not to mention Raven. Robin wasn't dumb. In fact his training had sharpened his mind more than ever and he knew for a fact that something was going on between the two of them. He didn't know what exactly to think about it other than the fact that their enemies would've seen this if he had. And it was definitely a weak point in the Titan's armor.

Slade was right. Parasites always took something from their hosts. But this one would take more than something. It could take everything. And it probably would.

Robin growled and put his face on his desk. Did he really have an option? He really didn't want to ask for help. Especially from a certain masked man who would ask for something that would make Robin want to hang his cape up forever over.

Life as a superhero sucked at the moment.

* * *

Raven sat until Beast Boy woke up. Well . . . she didn't know what to call him at the moment.

"That. Was. _Awful._ Do you know how many times I woke up last night? Let me tell you, it wasn't fun at all. I had the strangest and scariest dreams and . . . what?" He had finally made eye contact with Raven.

Beast Boy's grin slowly faltered and his face grew serious.

_You have no idea how easy this is, _Beast Boy heard Trigon's voice again.

"Rae . . . wha -"

She cut him off. "Beast Boy . . . how do you . . . feel?" she asked him hesitantly.

"Feel?" Beast Boy put his hands on his face and ran them down his chest. "I don't feel any different than I did yesterday. Why should I feel - HOLY GRASSHOPPERS!"

Raven winced as he finally got a look at his hands. Beast Boy plucked some hairs from his head.

"I'm _normal?!"_ he asked aloud as his voice cracked so that he sounded like he used to when they fought her father the first time.

"It could . . . be . . . worse?" Raven tried.

He grabbed his hair with both of his hands. "I can't be normal! Not now!" He crouched down and when nothing happened he fell onto his knees and pulled on his hair some more. "And no more powers!"

_It doesn't stop here, boy. As long as I'm with you, you'll get worse. I wonder how you look red….._

"RED?!" Beast Boy shrieked.

Raven came beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. She guessed her dad was talking to him at the moment. "Beast Boy . . . Garfield . . . whatever I'm going to call you for now, just listen. We'll figure something out. We have to. I am not going to risk letting my father escape to destroy the world, but I am not going to let your life wither away. Hold on, I'll get Robin."

With that, she walked through a portal that had appeared in the wall and was gone.

"Red?" Beast Boy squeaked into the empty room.

* * *

Raven was back in maybe a minute. Following her was the Boy Wonder in all of his sleep deprived glory.

"BEAST BOY!" he exclaimed when he saw his previously green friend on the floor. "You . . . wha -?!"

Beast Boy looked up at Robin with his still green eyes. "I still look good, huh?" He attempted a smile but to everyone it seemed more like a grimace.

"I'm guessing your powers are gone?" Robin asked meekly.

The silence that met him left him the answer he had been wishing wasn't true.

"What's going to happen?" Beast Boy asked them.

Raven and Robin exchanged glances before they both looked at him. "I don't know," they said simultaneously.

Robin stepped forwards. "But you won't be without your family. We won't let you leave. We will help you in any way we can, I promise."

Beast Boy stood up. "Thanks guys," he said as he gave them a lopsided grin. Raven missed his fang already.

"I'm gonna . . . see what Cy thinks of my new complexion." With that Beast Boy left the room.

"Tell me you're not considering -" Raven was cut off.

"Give me another idea, Raven! It's either Slade, or it's your father. Either way I don't think it'll end up well at all. We are at a dangerous crossroads at the moment and I am just about to explode!"

Raven reached forward and put her two middle fingers on her friend's temples. The Boy Wonder tensed up even more, if it was possible, before he relaxed.

"Thanks Raven."

She sighed. "I just don't know what to do."

"I understand what it's like to feel hopeless when people you love are in mortal danger. I was taught well," Robin looked her in the eye.

"You -"

"I'm not oblivious," Robin said as he raised an eyebrow.

Raven lowered her hands and Robin felt his headache go away. "I just didn't want you to be worried about more than was necessary," she began.

"It's fine," Robin interrupted. "I just . . . need you two to be careful. I am sure that the enemy knows about it. After all, if I've figured it out, then I am sure that Slade has too. It is a weak point. I'm sure you know that."

"More than you know."

Robin gave a small smile. "We'll fix this. I promise. We will fix this."

"That's what I'm afraid of. Once we do fix this, something else will start up again. Sometimes I wonder what it's like to have a life without these things happening all the time."

He gave her a small hug and headed for the door. "If you had that life, you wouldn't be you, Raven. You'll always be you and you shouldn't forget that."

* * *

"OKAY! I'll listen!"

A deep chuckle met her cry for his attention. "The prodigal daughter returns."

"I didn't come because of what you said. I came because of what you are doing."

"Actions speak louder than words."

Raven once again came as close as she could so that he couldn't reach her from where he was chained.

"You'll help me free him and everyone else from Slade. You offered. But I know you want something. You want something that I'm not going to like."

Trigon grinned and sat back against the hard wall he was chained up against. "You've caused me great pain, daughter. I shall cause you the same."

Raven stood tall with her chin up. She wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing that he was about to crush her. And she knew he was about to change everything.

"I won't attack your world once I am free. I'll help you defeat this pesky masked human you call 'Slade', however," Trigon grinned his sinister pointy toothed grin. "I require your powers. All of them. Forever."

Raven didn't expect this. "WHAT?!" Never had she raised her voice like this to anyone.

"It is only fair, my little child. I leave your precious _Earth _alone forever, you lose your powers forever. I'll leave you enough to heal yourself after freeing me. That'll take the brunt of your energy, but you heard me."

"What do you need them for?" Raven asked quietly.

"A demon's got to do what a demon's got to do. I have worlds to see and worlds to conquer, my daughter," he leaned forward.

Raven found herself trembling. All she had ever known was her powers. Her powers were part of her. They _were_ her. But to give her powers away, she'd be giving the demon part of her away. The meditation would go away. The constant lack of emotion. And yet . . .

"Why can't I offer you something else?" Raven asked him carefully.

"Like what? The only other fair thing I can think of is your soul. And we both know you don't want that. So, what do you say?"

Raven's fingers shook. She wanted Beast Boy to be okay. She didn't want him to die from the inside out. He would become Trigon, his soul would be consumed and he as Garfield Logan would cease to exist. She valued her powers more than anything. More than anything except the one she knew she loved.

Raven felt a tear drip out the corner of her eye.

"Fine. FINE! I'll . . . I'll do it. But not for you!"

Trigon grinned triumphantly. "Perfect. Two more conditions, after all I did promise payback. You tell anyone about this deal and what follows, and your friends become monsters before your eyes; _and_," he paused for effect, "you are to take an . . . extended vacation let's say . . . from the Teen Titans. I do not want you to interfere with my plans. Remember: I am a master of pain. I will tear you down, I will make you wish you were gone, I will make you hurt!"

Raven fell to her knees with her mouth open in a silent cry of pain.

"Here's the spell you need to say . . ."

* * *

"I sense our enemy has come closer to his goal than we have. We need the girl and we need her now!"

"Yes, sir!"

Slade rested his chin on his hand as he watched the Titans sleep on his screens. "Send out Greyston. He already knows what to do."

* * *

When Beast Boy woke up again the next morning he was still looking like a normal human being. He trudged into his bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

"I'd almost forgotten what I'd looked like," he mused.

He looked at his hands, then met his own eyes in the mirror. His emerald green eyes that were shining with worry.

Suddenly he felt his heart skip a beat. Literally. He stumbled and caught himself with one hand propping him up against the wall.

His other hand was a fist against his now throbbing chest. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was covered in sweat. "What?"

_It seems like your loved, small one, _he heard inside his head. _Sorry. Can't give back what I've taken. But you have some smart friends. Didn't you tell me they could do whatever it took to help each other?_

Beast Boy's head echoed with the hauntingly sinister chuckle as he felt his heart skip another beat. Beast Boy slid down the wall with both hands pressed against his heart.

He was gasping for air while his chest throbbed with a dull pain.

"What . . . what's hap . . . happening?" he whispered aloud.

The chuckle came again. _Your _girlfriend_ seems to have fallen in love with you my friend. Sacrifices made for love. _Trigon chuckled. _Don't worry. She's still alive. You'll barely be when this process is over with. It was nice getting to know you. _

Beast Boy's heart started beating increasingly fast and he started panting as if he had ran miles and miles. His consciousness began to slip and he felt his head hit the ground.

One of his last thoughts before fading into unconsciousness was whether or not Raven was faring better than he was.

His last thought was more easy to think.

_However you're doing, Rae, know . . . that if I'm not okay . . . when this is over . . . I . . . love . . . y -_

* * *

WOW. That long wait almost killed me. I hate when you have so much to do you can't relax and have downtime.

REVIEW, MY PEEPS!

I miss you guys.

-Belgaria


	12. Chapter 12

**Bargains and Balance**

**I don't own TT. (I updated the previous chapter and made a major change to the story plot; I changed one paragraph but seriously guys, it effects the whole enchilada)**

I'm adding a whole new layer to this story. I had a large epiphany. Ish. And I am totally making this story way more intricate and, well, you'll see. . .

* * *

Chapter XII

Detective Ian Rolfe found his job incredibly dull. Sure Jump City was completely inhabited with the most bizarre criminals, but his job was comprised of driving to the crime scene at the last minute and arresting whoever the Titans had just defeated. And dealing with payments for whatever had been damaged in the process.

So it was a large surprise when he was called into the investigation of Deathstroke. Known to the Titans as Slade. He hadn't really tried. After all, this was probably going to end up like all of the other criminals. The Titans would take him down, and Rolfe would swoop in and slap on the cuffs.

But now . . . well now he found himself in Slade's secret lair. Looking at Slade. Or what he assumed was once Slade.

Half of the man had been melted - a gruesome sight in itself. The rest of him was . . . well it looked like it had been shredded by some animal. But what skin that showed was red. Not from blood.

Rolfe sighed and shook his head as he pulled out his notepad to take notes on what the forensics leader was listing.

_Wait till the Titans hear about this one._

* * *

"Wait - you said he was red? As in red, red?"

"Like I told you before Mr. .. .uh, Robin. The man was red. The coroner has no idea what caused it, but whatever it was was completely infused with his DNA. It's not dye and it's not a disease."

Robin put a hand on his face as he shifted the phone that he was holding with the other hand. "Anything else?"

"Not yet. But I do apologize for the untimely hour of this call . . . I-"

"No," Robin interrupted, "it's fine. Thanks Detective."

"Rolfe out."

Robin tossed the phone onto the couch next to him. He stared at the blank television in front of him and let his mind wander.

Red skin? The only other being he had encountered with red skin was a freakishly large demon with family problems. Robin shuddered. He hoped that wasn't what had killed his nemesis. If it was, then that meant that the red demon parasite had escaped from its host. Which happened to be -

"Beast Boy!"

Robin sprinted to his friend's room and stood in front of the door for a few seconds after it had opened.

"Beast Boy?" he called cautiously.

Robin stepped into the room and the first thing he saw was the messy, empty bed. Before he panicked, he then noticed the lit bathroom on the other side of the room.

Robin hurried to the bathroom and found Beast Boy on the floor unconscious, his hair still brown and his skin still "normal."

Robin checked his friend's pulse and found that it was beating frighteningly slow. He grabbed his Titans communicator.

"Cyborg!"

Cyborg's sleepy face came into view. "Wha?"

"I need you in the infirmary, ASAP! Beast Boy's been . . . attacked or something!"

Cyborg was now up all the way. "Understood. Cyborg out."

Robin hefted Beast Boy onto his shoulders and headed towards the infirmary.

"It's gonna be okay, Gar. I promise we'll make it through this."

* * *

Beast Boy awoke to find Starfire in his face. Quite literally.

"Gaaahh!" Beast Boy sat up and backed against the wall.

"Beast Boy? How is it that you have acquired the 'normal' look of this planet?" Starfire looked at him quizzically with big eyes.

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a long story. What about you? When did you finally come around?"

"I did the coming around maybe two days ago. I have been resting in my room for that time. Robin sent me up to check on you," Starfire said almost happily.

"I've been out for how long?!" Beast Boy yelped.

"Do not worry, friend Beast Boy. You have only been out for a week. Cyborg and Robin have been absolutely worried that you have been in the coma."

Beast Boy finally realized why Starfire was more serious than normal, he realized she was dodging something. . .a really important unasked question.

"Starfire . . . where's Raven?"

There was a horrible, almost heart stopping silence that Beast Boy almost screamed during; he knew the answer.

Starfire's eyes filled with tears. "Beast Boy, I did not want to be the one to do the breaking of the news. I am so sorry. Robin said that she has been gone since you became free of Trigon. We do not know where she is."

Beast Boy could only stare at her with his mouth open.

Starfire broke down crying as if she had been holding it in since she had learned the news herself and draped her arms around his neck.

Beast Boy didn't notice. His mind had gone elsewhere. He knew what had happened.

He would've died. No one could've gotten Trigon out. No one had the power to. No one except Raven. His Raven. She had known that Slade was bluffing when he had said he knew how to get Trigon out. She had known that she was his only hope. And the only reason that Beast Boy was sitting in the Tower alive and well (besides his power; he could've cared less at the moment) was because she had sacrificed something to keep it this way. Raven was gone because of him. Because of her father. And Beast Boy was furious. He was torn. He was filled with an imaginable amount of loss. And yet . . .

"Star," a voice said from the infirmary's entrance.

Starfire made a choking noise and ran to Robin's arms.

"I'm guessing she told you." It wasn't a question.

"Yea," Beast Boy managed to get out. "And I'm guessing you know the reason for her leaving."

Robin's wordless response only confirmed what Beast Boy knew.

"Your powers?"

"I . . . it's the last thing on my mind right now. We need to find Raven. We need to! She could be in danger, she could be terribly lost, she . . . she . . . we -"

"Beast Boy! Raven's seventeen and way too smart for her own good. She's fine. I promise. Also you have to consider that if we go searching for her, it could make things worse."

Beast Boy gave a choked cry that sounded like a strangled animal noise.

"Gar-"

"I . . . I need some air. I . . . I need air." With that, Beast Boy left the room and went to the roof where he began to feel raindrops hit his face. Strangely enough, some of them tasted like salt.

* * *

When Raven had awoken after she had made her deal with her father, she had found herself in a different place than her room in Titans Tower. Actually it was quite a terrifying experience.

Apparently her father had helped lock her into his deal by teleporting her body into an ally in the middle of Jump in civilian clothes. Some homeless man had found her and graciously gave her to the hospital for medical attention.

She was a regular Jane Doe for the longest time until apparently when asked her name, she had given her number one alias: Rachel Roth.

Boy was that last name going to stick out to the people she really was supposed to stay away from. And for their own safety too.

Trigon had delt with it though. And she hated him even more for it. She was Rachel Roth: homeschooled, orphaned, and legally living on her own.

Oh yeah, and since he had stripped her of who she was, Raven no longer looked like herself. She had found out when she had walked into the hospital's bathroom.

Black hair, dark grey eyes. She still was unusually pale.

Raven had almost flipped out then and there, but lasted through her time at the hospital and was eventually released.

She shuddered as she thought of the last words her father had said to her: _I can find you without trying. You go to them, you speak to them, they and the rest of your precious planet go into chaos._

He had even been considerate enough to leave her an impossibly large bank account to start her new life off with. She technically had access to everything she could ever want, even a break from being a superhero. And yet, she wanted more. She wanted one person more.

Raven sat down in her small apartment. It had been a month since she had been found in the allyway. She had gotten a reasonable job at a small tea shop that was only known to those who lived on that block.

Raven knew that eventually her father would forget about her in his universal conquest and never ending hunger for more power. When that happened she could go back to her friends. To her family. But by then she'd be gone.

Raven plopped down on her back onto the small sofa with a groan. She didn't regret what she had done. But at the same time she wished she had at least consulted with someone about this.

She had left without seeing if Starfire was okay, for crying out loud. And she didn't get to say goodbye to the young man she had saved . . .

"Stop!" Raven said aloud. "I'm going to fix this. I'm going to fix this!"

One of her best friends was one of the world's best deductive and inductive thinker she had ever met. She was also quite intelligent.

"Robin, I hope you know about steganography."

* * *

Robin and Beast Boy were different people from the day Beast Boy had found out about Raven's absence. The Tower was a lot quieter, filled with more tension than usual.

Especially in the month that followed. Robin was constantly talking to the big man in Gotham for advice, Beast Boy was always patrolling the streets day in and day out, Starfire was more serious, more . . . human. Cyborg . . . all he ever did was hack into more databases and police records to find something new. Nothing showed.

Not until they got a newspaper from the mayor of Jump. At first the Titans had been curious. These days, people didn't just get newspapers. Then they had dismissed it. The front page had their faces on it. It wasn't new. But after that day, Robin had spent the following 24 hours in his study, and every Saturday when the mail came, would wait anxiously for the mayor to send more news.

Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg had only looked at each other and shrugged. Robin was Robin. He would tell them when something became dangerously important.

* * *

**A Year Later:**

"The new Teen Titans? Rache, look at this."

Raven, now Rachel looked at the newspaper that had been slid across the table in front of her face.

"Well, they can only be the 'Teen' Titans for so long, Gabbi." Raven pushed the paper away and took another sip of her tea.

"Admit it, you care." Gabbi calmly said as she wrapped the newspaper into a neat roll.

Raven nearly choked on her tea. "Pardon?"

"New fourteen slash fifteen year olds to defend the city? You were dumped into an ally by who knows who. You care about who's watching."

Raven sighed in relief. "Right. What happened to the old Teen Titans?"

Gabbi shook her blonde head to get some hair out of her blue eyes and skimmed the article. "Well you know how that strange Raven girl disappeared? Well after that, Beast Boy didn't show himself in public anymore for who knows why. It doesn't say. I assume they just took up their secret identities and went."

Raven felt her heart lurch. She was still protecting her friends. Her father still spoke to her every now and then in her dreams to remind her of it. There were some times in between "chats" where she even thought to call them. But then he'd appear and tell her everything she had done that day as proof that he was still watching. She was stuck between Trigon and a hard place. And it hurt.

Raven kept her face straight. "Well, I hope they've moved on easily."

Gabbi sighed. "I do too. The poor people." She looked at her watch. "Great. The place opens in ten minutes."

Gabbi stood up and began wiping down tables. "So, how's your book coming along?"

Raven stood up and put her cup in the sink in the back of the shop before coming out and replying, "I don't really know. I need a certain inspiration, you know?"

Gabbi gave a short laugh. "The girl who wrote an essay overnight on 'the mind and its funtions' and got four awards thinks she lacks inspiration. Really Rache, you doubt yourself too much."

"You're too optimistic."

"And _you're _too tense. You need a boyfriend."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Just because you just got one doesn't mean the world needs one."

Gabbi put her hands in the air. "I'm just saying."

The day went smoothly after that. So smooth, that Raven almost forgot about her life's issues. That is, until _he _walked into the shop.

A young man, tall, handsome in a disheveled sort of way. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes that pierced her soul.

"Oh, Dylan! I didn't expect to see you here!" Raven lied through her false smile.

Dylan was handsome. He was smart. He was fit. He was really really nice. And he was interested in her. Thanks to Gabbi. It was really annoying to Raven, probably because he had been showing up at the shop every day around noonish.

"Heh, heh. Yeah I was near and decided to stop by."

Raven looked over his shoulder and saw Gabbi give her a wink from the opposite side of the place. Raven frowned.

"So, did you come to talk to Gabbi about that new show you guys have become obsessed with or what?"

Dylan scratched his ear nervously with a finger. "I was wondering, actually, if you would come with me to a, uh, the Music Festival this weekend with a couple of my friends."

Raven calmly began polishing a cup and merely raised an eyebrow. The poor kid began to trip over his own words.

"I . . . I mean Gabbi will be there. A . . . and some of my college buddies. Her . . . her boyfriend Gavin an . . . and his friend Mark who goes by Mark because he's completely embarrassed by his first name which I don't blame the poor guy, I mean I haven't met a guy with such a uniquely strange name before an-"

Raven cut him off by putting a hand in the air. "If you can stop rambling maybe I'll go."

"Great!" Gabbi exclaimed from right behind Raven. "Rachel and I will meet you there!"  
"Woah!" Raven said.

"Really?" Dylan said at the same time.

"Yes," Gabbi looked at Raven with a face that said it would happen regardless.

Raven looked at the ceiling. "Yes."

Dylan practically glowed. "Great! I gotta go, but I promise, you won't regret it!"

The second he left the small shop, Raven just looked at Gabbi.

"Don't look at me that way, hon. What you need is fun. I just gave you fun."

"With my stalker."

"He's not a stalker," Gabbi said. "He's actually pretty fun when you get to know him. Him and all of his friends. His friend Mark is pretty funny."

Raven put her newly polished cup onto the counter. "The guy with the embarrassing first name?"

"Yeah, that's him," Gabbi started neatening the cups displayed by the window.

Raven walked over to where her friend was working and just stood there in her indigo jacket.

"Mark's not even his last name either. His name's just as strange as he is. Although, he isn't bad looking at all," Gabbi kept on talking and stood up.

"I think that's it. I gotta head out. Gavin and I have a date tonight!"

Gabbi grabbed her purse from behind the counter and strode to the door and flipped the open sign to closed.

Before she walked out she started snickering.

"What?" Raven said exasperated.

"A: You like, never smile. I don't know what's wrong with you. And B: I can't get Mark's name out of my head. It's so funny, the poor guy."

Raven stuck her phone in her pocket and threw up her hands exasperated. "Well if it's so funny you should tell me, since I don't smile as much as I should."

"Garfield! HA! Can you believe it?" Gabbi started laughing.

Raven froze and felt her heart skip a beat.

"Garfield Mark Logan! It's like, soooo sad!"

Raven struggled to breath properly. "Yeah. It's sad. It's very, very sad."

* * *

Okay, told you guys I'd deepen the plot and the detail. I am soooooo getting into the BB/Rae stuff now.

REVIEW!

-Belgaria


	13. Chapter 13

**Bargains and Balance**

**This is annoying. Let's just assume and know that I don't own Teen Titans from this chapter forward. **

So as you peeps know, I added a curve to the story to make it longer and more interesting. Have fun and read!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Two Days Later**

The world had frozen to Raven since that conversation with her best friend. Well, rather than frozen, just seemed to pass in almost a dream-like state.

_Garfield Mark Logan! Isn't that sad?_

Raven wanted to hit something. Someone. Herself. The wall. She had known his name since before they were together, together. It should've rang a bell immediately but did it? Um, of course not.

She sat down on her bed in a t-shirt and loose shorts and mentally scolded herself. This was really bad. She couldn't go and see him! Not now, and apparently not ever. He'd definitely be safer to not see her again. And yet. . .

A large part of her really wanted to see him again. Needed to see him again. And she knew that if that happened and Trigon found out, and he would find out, Garfield would become a little Trigon puppet for the rest of Trigon's existence. Which wasn't good. At all. Raven had heard stories of her father's minions. Things that had once been human, but now were creatures of corruption; created from the presence and the mere essence of Trigon himself.

She really felt torn. Stupid Gabbi. Dragging her into things like this. But Raven knew it wasn't her new friend's fault.

The phone rang next to her bed, causing her to give a startled jump. She reached over and picked it up.

"What?" she said dryly.

"Well, aren't you a little miss sunshine," came Gabbi's voice from the other end of the line. "Anyway, I called to see if you've checked the news lately."

"Obviously I haven't. What happened?"

"It isn't what _has_ happened, it's what's_ going _to happen." Gabbi sounded like her head was about to explode with excitement.

Raven just blinked. Sometimes she didn't understand how she makes friends like Gabbi. Friends with the opposite personalities and such. Friends like -

"I'm guessing you're going to tell me?" Raven asked as she fell onto her back on her bedspread.

"You know me so well, hon. Well here it goes," Gabbi took a deep breath. "You're officially a New York Times Bestselling Author - overnight!" Gabbi gave a short loud squeal.

Raven blinked with more surprise. "How? I haven't even submitted my book to - no. . . You. Did. Not."

A nervous chuckle. "I kinda sort of did. But sweetie, you are amazing and you don't know it. Weren't you considering just putting that thing on your own bookshelf for forever? Uh, uh. Nope. I shipped it to an editor. And BAM. Magic."

Raven sat up and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You ever heard of decaf?"

"Coffee's not my thing. And don't change the subject! Seriously, you are so in right now! Well, _you_ aren't. 'Eve Remron' is. Nice pseudonym by the way."

"I try." A million thoughts were racing through her mind. Robin, also known as Richard, would definitely know who she was based on her writing style and what she had written about. Cyborg aka Victor . . . he probably wouldn't figure it out too quickly. But he was pretty intelligent and it would eventually click. Then there was -

"Mark got Gavin and Dylan into your book. I didn't tell them that Eve was you. I assumed you used a pseudonym for a reason."

Of course. "So when's the whole Music Festival thingy?" Raven asked, trying to see how fast she could get everything over with and done with.

"Tomorrow."

_YES!_

"And the next day."

_Great….._

"But after that it's done. Do you really not like Dylan that much? He's like perfect in almost every girl's mind and out of everyone, picks you."

"I . . . it's complicated."

There was a thoughtful pause. "There's someone else," Gabbi said slowly.

Raven's heart skipped a beat and she scolded herself as she fought to keep her voice neutral. "No."

But of course, the Queen of Relationships knew what she meant. "Oh. My. Gosh."

"Bye, Gabbi."

"Noooooo! Who is it? I've got to know! This guy must be so good to be better than Dyl-"

"Bye, Gabbs." And Raven hung up on her talkative friend. She chuckled a little bit. That felt good. She knew Gabbi wouldn't take offense to that action and frankly, Raven was amused at the moment.

Raven rolled off of her bed and walked to her bathroom to get ready for bed.

It had been an interesting day at the small shop. Gavin had come with Dylan who had immediately started small talk with Raven. Or Rachel. She really didn't mind either.

Gabbi had taken her break then and she and Gavin had gone on a lunch date. Leaving Raven with Dylan, who was a constant reminder of the one she was trying to keep alive.

Raven looked into the mirror at herself and let out a puff of air. She had let her hair grow out. It was a little past shoulder length, and still quite straight, and very dark.

Tomorrow was Saturday. Great. Festival time. Raven pulled out her brush from a nearby drawer and began to brush her hair.

_Bring it on. _

* * *

_My child, my how you have thrived in the mortal world. I see you are still lonely. I can help you with that. _

There was a deep chuckle and Raven turned restlessly in her sleep.

_All you have to do is surrender completely to me. It would be so easy, and it is not as if it would make a difference to those you are protecting. I know you, child and I know you are searching for a crack in the window, but let me assure you, there is nothing you can do that I won't know about. There is no one you can talk to that I won't know about. There is no where you can go that I won't know about. And there is no way, _no way_ you can get away. We are linked, you and I. By our blood. By our minds. _

Raven's head twitched in her sleep.

_Oh, my child. How ignorant you are of my true power. I know your heart yearns for the ones you love. For those who understand you and accept you. I was like that once. And the people you yearn for yearn for you as well. But this is all part of my plan for you see, you injured me and made me weak; you tore me down painfully. I am doing that to you; making you crumble slowly, feeling the weight of the life you have to live. I am still able to destroy your precious _family_. Remember me, my child, and you will do perfectly. _

Raven sat up in her bed, alert and awake. When she lay back down and controlled her breathing again, it wasn't a surprise when she felt something wet run down her face like a soft reminder that she was still her, and that she was almost hopeless.

* * *

"So, anything new?"

"I haven't found anything new in the past two months, Gar."

Garfield Logan sat back in the booth that he was sitting in and looked at the tall, clean-shaven, lean figured, short dark haired man across the table from him.

"This investigation hasn't gone anywhere in forever. The people I work with will not let me continue if something doesn't pop up soon enough. You know this, Gar."

Garfield pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. I do. Thanks Richard for trying. I guess after almost a year and a quarter with nothing . . . I don't know what to say really."

Richard (previously Robin) gave a small smile. "Don't give up, man. Seriously, the fact that you're still searching speaks a lot to me."

Garfield put both hands on the table in front of him and fiddled with the purple stoned ring on his right hand.

"She didn't get to see me with my powers back."

"I know. But remember? Beast Boy's gone."

Garfield ignored him. "She didn't get to help train the new Titans."

Richard looked down. "Yeah. I know."

"Do you know why I had Cy make my holoring look like this?" Garfield held up his right hand and Richard looked at the ring closely. Purple stoned, with a silver band that had wings etched into the sides. The wings of a -

"Raven," Richard said with a fond smile.

Garfield's only response was a quick twitch of the corner's of his mouth. "We were pretty close, you know. Before the entire mess that started this."

"And to think, y'all could've ended up like Kori and me," Richard joked as he gave his menu to the waitress who had approached the table. "Uh, two of the Special Salads please and I would like a re-fill. Thanks."

Garfield nodded his thanks and watched the waitress as she walked away. "I don't think Rae would've let me marry her. Plus, I'm only eighteen."

"You're birthday isn't that far away at all."

"Still."

Richard accepted the newly refilled glass that the waitress offered him. "Have you tried dating at all?"

"It's pretty awkward. I haven't really."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "You make it seem like you're the lonliest person in the world."

"I have friends! I'm actually going to a music festival with them this weekend."

"Do they have girlfriends?" Richard grinned.

Garfield rolled his eyes. "Yes. Well, one of them. Another is bringing his friend's girlfriend's friend. But seriously, I highly doubt I'm going to pick up a girlfriend at a music festival."

"You never know." Richard took a sip of his drink. "You just never know.

* * *

"Well, here we are! Jump City's famous music festival!" Gabbi swung her arm in an arch above her head to gesture to all of the surrounding crowds and entertainment.

"You'd think they'd think of a more creative name than that," Raven said monotonously.

Gabbi looked Raven up and down. "Rachel, my friend, I do believe you and that color just stick like glue."

Raven glanced down at her blue shirt, blue jeans, indigo jacket, and dark sneakers. "I'm not one for extravagant colors."

Gabbi just hummed in response, since she was entirely distracted looking for her boyfriend and his friends.

"Anyway, shouldn't you guys be in college or something?" Raven huffed.

"Gavin and Dylan are taking online courses. I legally own the shop once I actually get the paperwork done, so I don't see the point. Oh! There they are!"

Raven felt her heart race and she turned so that her back was to Dylan, Gavin, and the other person she knew was going to be there. Why did she agree to this? This was complete idiocy to let Gabbi talk her into this. Not to mention letting herself talk herself into doing this as well. She didn't know how she'd react to seeing him after all this time. And if he found out about why she left . . .

"Hey, guys!" Gabbi greeted Gavin with an enthusiastic kiss on the mouth.

"PDA, dude. Sheesh," Dylan said with a grin.

Gavin pulled away. "Not my problem you don't have a girlfriend."

"I'm working on it. Hey, Rachel!" Dylan greeted Raven.

Raven slowly turned around and saw only Dylan and Gavin. "Where's G - the Mark guy?"

Dylan shrugged. "He got caught up in the security stuff." Dylan smacked a palm to his face. "Dude, Gav, we need to buy tickets for food!"

"So do we! Hehe, uh, Rache?" Gabbi spun to face Raven and gave an innocent little smile.

"No. Whatever you're going to ask, no." Raven wanted to avoid anything that could possible cause trouble.

"Fine. I was going to ask you to go buy the tickets but since you won't do that, you can wait on Mark while we go get our tickets."

"Wait, what?!" Raven just stared at her friend. "Why do both of them have to go get tickets? Why can't one of them stay with me?"

Gabbi put both hands on Raven's shoulders. "Dylan's buying food tickets, Gavin's buying tickets for the shows. Which, we have already bought."

"Of course we did," Raven spoke out loud in what used to be her own signature monotone.

"Knew you'd understand! See you guys in a bit! I have my phone with me in case you guys need me."

Raven opened her mouth with a sarcastic reply ready to launch, but they had already gone and left.

"Great." She kicked a rather large pebble and watched it roll into someone's foot.

"You could seriously hurt someone doing that," said a familiar voice behind her. A voice that sent chills down her spine and made her heart skip a beat.

She slowly turned around and looked up. He had gotten quite a bit taller than he had been in the Titans Tower. His hair was a little tousled, still dark brown and hanging just a tad over his ears; his body still obviously lean. His eyes were emerald green, sparkling with humor, but Raven could still read him like she had always been able to and she saw a certain sadness in his eyes.

_He's still searching_ she realized. She glanced down and saw a purple stoned ring on his right hand. A ring with raven's wings. A holoring. She smiled on the inside. _He has his powers back._

She looked into his emerald eyes and with a straight face replied, "And you could seriously hurt someone sneaking up on them like that."

He grinned. "I assume you're Rachel, Gabriella's friend."

"That's me. Sadly. You're Mark?"

He tilted his head, still with his charming smile. "That I am." He held out his hand. "Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

She tentatively took his hand and shook it. "….And you."

Mark froze and looked at her closely, his grin fading a little bit. "Do I know you from somewhere? I feel like I've talked to you before. . ."

She forced a smile. "Yeah, right. Out of all the people in Jump you've already met your best friend's girlfriend's friend? Unlikely."

He smiled. "True. It's just -"

"MARK!"

Raven watched in amusement as Mark was barreled off balance by to relatively large figures.

"Woah! Dudes! No noogies! NO NOOGIES!"

"You're face's a noogie."

"You're mom's a noogie."

All three guys chortled with laughter.

Gabbi and Raven rolled their eyes at each other.

* * *

It was around two in the afternoon when Raven let her new friends walk ahead while she went to the bathroom. When she came out, she found Dylan standing outside, obviously waiting for her.

"You need something?" she asked almost playfully.

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She looked up at him with a small smile. "It's a bathroom."

"Still," Dylan said with a large smile.

"Where's everyone else?" Raven and Dylan began walking towards who knew where.

"They're at some special event thingy. Apparently, the people who run this whole thing are trying something new: a dance."

Raven stopped walking and looked at Dylan with amazement. "You knew about this beforehand."

He didn't deny it, but put a hand on her back and gently pushed her forward so that she'd walk in the direction he pushed her. "I think it's a nice surprise."

"You think every surprise is nice."

He gave a small laugh. "Totally not true."

Raven nudged him playfully with her shoulder and he laughed.

"I just wanted to make sure I got the first dance with you," he said with a small smile.

Raven looked at him as they continued to walk towards a large white building that she assumed was in the center of the whole place.

"You're too nice."

He laughed. "I'm not joking. I'm serious."

When they entered the place, they couldn't find their friends. Dylan sent a text to Mark and Gavin then looked at Raven with his head tilted like a puppy dog.

"Wanna dance while we wait?" he asked her.

"Still serious?"

"Definitely."

She took his outstretched hand with a small smile while at the same time cursing her bravery and forwardness of the day. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

The live band began to play a moderate waltz and Raven followed Dylan's steps.

"When did you learn to dance?" she asked him curiously.

He flashed a mischievous grin. "My secret."

Raven felt a pang of guilt and sadness travel down her spine as his grin so closely resembled anothers that she had grown increasingly fond of.

Dylan apparently noticed, and he stopped their dancing and put a hand on her face. "You've always seemed so sad, so detatched, you know? You're beautiful inside and out, and you don't know it. I saw you and I knew you needed someone to help you. I want to be that person. I want to help you. I want to make you feel free and feel love."

Raven felt tears well in her eyes. This kind young man deserved go be loved, and she felt horrible because the love that she had, was already with another. He deserved be loved, and she had none to give to him.

* * *

Garfield knew he had seen her somewhere. He had seen that smile, heard that laugh somewhere, but he didn't know where. She didn't look familiar, but her actions were quite familiar.

He had asked Gavin, but his friend had said she hadn't talked to Mark in his entire lifespan. Gar had then walked in confusion.

Rachel was actually quite pretty. Dark hair, grey eyes worthy of Athena, not to mention the intelligence inside them. It was a match that was rare, practically unheard of, and yet she pulled the appearance off with a grace that reminded him of a particular someone he had known in his time as a Teen Titan. Garfield smiled fondly at the memory.

"Here we are!" Gabbi said enthusiastically, practically dragging her boyfriend into the building.

Garfield followed with a grin. They found Rachel and Dylan sitting at a table next to each other; her sitting back, relaxed, him leaning back with his arm on top of the back of her chair.

"You two look comfortable," Gabbi commented.

Gavin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that comment was totally _not _obvious."

Gabbi elbowed him in the stomach.

Rachel and Dylan looked at each other then back at Gabbi. Rachel shrugged. "We danced. Then decided to wait on you guys."

Garfield caught her gaze as she looked his way and he felt his palms start to sweat. When she looked away quickly, he found that he wanted her to look back. He wanted to ask her to dance, to talk, to sit with him. Why was she having this effect on him? He met her at 8 o'clock this morning. How could one girl do what countless have been unable to do in a year and three months?

"No need to now!" Gabbi practically squealed and dragged her boyfriend onto the dance floor while a quick song was getting to it's climax.

Dylan excused himself to the bathroom and left Garfield alone with Rachel.

"So . . ." she began awkwardly.

He rubbed the back of his neck in his nervous habit. The corners of her mouth twitched.

"You . . . uh, you wanna dance?" he asked almost cautiously.

In response she stood up and put the crook of her elbow into his and he walked them to the dance floor with a grin.

The fast song ended before they could join the dance and a slow song came on. _So cliche,_ he thought.

"Don't worry. One of my best friends made me take a class. I can dance," Garfield gave a cheeky grin.

Rachel looked up into his eyes with a soft smile. "Then dance."

They started to slowly move around and Garfield decided to start a conversation.

"You know how I said I feel like I've seen you before?"

Rachel nodded.

"Where did you live before you moved to where you live now?"

Rachel seemed to hesitate before answering. "I lived near the coast."

Gar nodded. "It's nice in that area."

"It was," she said almost wistfully.

"I used ot live there as well. I had some pretty good friends. You kind of remind me of one of them."

"I do?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah. Well, not your appearance. More like your eyes."

Rachel smiled, somewhat amused. "My eyes?"

He suddenly felt really awkward. Why the heck did he just speak his thoughts aloud? He was acting so dumb.

"Like I can never really tell what you're thinking. I look into your eyes and I see my own reflection, nothing more, nothing less. But at the same time, I can occasionally see bits and pieces of you through them. Sometimes only your eyes will show surprise or anger or annoyance. It's . . ." Garfield looked into her eyes that were looking into his soul and found he could hardly breathe right. "Captivating," he breathed.

Garfield noticed the closeness the dance had forced them to create and he looked down at her. All it would take was one simple action.

_C'mon Gar! Lean down, tilt your head a little and -_

Garfield realized that he had actually begun to lean forwards, and stopped himself so that the sides of the tips of their noses were brushing against each other.

"I - I need some water," Rachel said quickly and breathlessly before rushing to their table at the other end of the room.

Garfield stood there by himself for a few seconds before heading towards the bathroom to maybe find Dylan and see how the D man was handling the fried food.

On his way he mentally grabbed himself and dropped kicked his own body.

I. _Am. So. Dumb. Acting on impulse like a young teenager?! Sure she reminds me of Raven. That doesn't mean that she is Rae. I'm not falling for her. I'm attracted to her because she reminds me of - of her. No one falls for someone in nine hours. Wait till Richard hears about this. _

* * *

I am soo tired.

REVIEW! I definitely need it.

-Belgaria


	14. Chapter 14

**Bargains and Balance**

**You guys are really demanding. So I decided to sumbit this chapter early. Yea, don't get any ideas. It wont work like this every time. I do have school, you peeps. **

Btw, this is my first story on this website, so basically if you get a little lost, remember I'm experimenting with many story elements thus far. Thanks for tolerating me!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Raven was pacing her room and had been for the past hour and a half. She was completely confused. It was a good thing that her powers weren't effected by her emotions.

Maybe because she didn't have any powers. Raven continued pacing. Even after all of this time, after all of this time, the mere presence of him just set her into a flurry of emotion. This shouldn't happen! She was Raven for heaven's sake. She always had her emotions in check!

Not to mention within eight or nine hours of seeing him again, she had almost let him kiss her. Which she had thankfully ducked out of before she had walked into something she couldn't get out of.

Not to mention the possibility of him discovering her. He'd be mad. Furious. Dead.

Raven did not want to go back to the festival tomorrow. It would make things infinitely worse and infinitely more dangerous. Not only did she not want to go to the festival the next day, she did not want to go to sleep and listen to what her father had to say about this. If he knew . . .

The only thing that would make things worse would be if -

The phone rang.

_If I could get just one quiet moment to myself!_

"Rachel," Raven said into the phone monotonously.

"Tell me you did not enjoy yourself today!" Gabbi immediately squealed from the other end of the line.

"Okay . . . I didn't enjoy myself today. Can I go now?"

"Oh, no. Not this time, hon. Gavin and I totally saw you and Mark! I mean I feel really bad for Dylan, but I don't think he knows and -"

"What are you talking about?" Raven asked her friend.

"The fact that you, like, totally like Mark! Didn't you two -"

"No we didn't. Now can I go _now?_"

"You are going tomorrow. I'll dress you and drag you there myself if I have to, but you are sooooo going."

Raven sighed and after a couple moments of silence said, "I didn't say I wasn't going."

The phone made a beeping noise signaling another call waiting to come in.

"Sorry, Gabbi. I have another call that's coming in at the moment."

"Sure you do," Gabbi mused. "But whatever. Call me back when you can!" Then she hung up.

"Unlikely," Raven said to herself.

She dialed the number that had tried to reach her earlier. No one answered, and after a few rings the voicemail came on.

_"Hey, it's Garfield! Or Mark. Or even Logan. Depending on who you are. If you've reached this message then I'm not here right now. If it's an emergency, dial my other number. Thanks!"_

Raven slowly hung up the phone. Great. Now he had her number. How in the world did things like this just happen to her?

She knew he'd call back. And there's no way she could avoid answering her phone forever without him investigating.

Raven put her back against the wall and slid down onto her rear to sit down on the ground with the phone in her hands.

She'd wait and figure this out. She had to.

* * *

Garfield had gotten her number from Gabbi (actually he was the only one she would allow to call her by her full name) who had enthusiastically insisted he have it regardless of the fact that both of them were aware of Dylan's complete obsession with Rachel.

When Rachel hadn't answered his call, Garfield had immediately assumed that she was busy. She'd call back.

The truth was, even though no one understood or believed him when he talked about her eerie resemblance to . . . to _her_ he still felt an irresistible pull towards her. Something he hadn't felt since . . . Raven.

He chuckled to himself. A few years back he wouldn't have dared think of Rae like this. Especially when he had first encountered the Beast and basically dissed her and stood up to her at the same time.

His phone rang.

"This is Garfield."

"And this is Starfire!" came the excited reply from the other end of the line.

"Dude, you still go by that name?"

"You still call people 'dude'?"

Over time, Starfire's english had improved immensely, making it easier to talk to her and much easier to tolerate her tirades that sometimes made zero sense at all.

"So, Star. What's up?" Garfield sat down on Gavin's couch (he was staying at his place until he got his own) and put a hand behind his head.

"Richard told me about your new obsession."

"Hey! It's not an obsession. Just . . . a fascination. I guess."

"Well, it's nice to see you pursuing someone with great interest. Ever since we as Titans disbanded you have been pretty . . . detatched."

Garfield winced inwards as he noticed her avoiding mentioning Raven at all

"Well, a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do, right? Where's Richard anyway?"

"At the moment, he's visiting an old friend in Gotham City. It was very sudden."

"So you took it upon yourself to get a glimpse into my love life?" he asked playfully.

She laughed from the other end. "I just don't see how you'll go on from here. A friend can check up on another friend."

Garfield sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Yeah. I was thinking of just taking her to different places in Jump tomorrow. Like an extended date, only not really a date. I just . . . wanna get to know her better without everyone else, you know?"

He heard Kori's smile when she replied. "I do. But Richard and I did fine without such things."

"But you guys still dated."

"True. Well, good luck anyway. I have to go. Richard wants me to apply for a job tomorrow."

Garfield smiled. It was about time she made a place for herself in this world. Set some roots. "Thanks. And you too. Good luck I mean."

"Bye Beast Boy."

"Haven't heard that name in ages. See you too." Garfield hung up the phone and stared at it for a second. Then thinking _Screw this,_ he dialed her number.

It rang twice before she picked up. "Rachel here."

"Uh . . . hi. This is Gar- I mean Be . . . uh . . . Mark. Uh, hi."

" . . . hi . . ."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering what you . . . thought of the Festival thingy today."

There was a long pause and he realized how awkward that question had sounded.

"I mean . . . a . . . as a whole."

"Ah . . . well, I'm not one for social interaction. Not much."

Garfield did a fist pump inside his head. "I assumed so . . . well I mean, I had something else planned if you just want to not do a lot of social interaction."

"Like . . . a date?" she mused.

He mentally face palmed himself.

"Um, well, no. I mean like a 'get to know each other better because we don't know each other nearly as well as out other friends' type of thing," Garfield said really fast.

She paused again. This girl really knew how to keep him on edge.

"Like what?" she asked him carefully.

He shrugged them remembered she couldn't see him and said, "Stuff. There's the park. We could re-visit the coast. Oh! And there's this new pizza place downtown that I've been dying to go to for forever! Gabbi said you liked books. There's also the library."

He heard her give a soft chuckle. His heart skipped a beat and chills went down his spine. He almost thought he had heard . . . nevermind. That was impossible.

"I could do that. As long as I'm home by eight-ish. And . . . as long as you don't . . . I mean . . ." she trailed off awkwardly and Garfield could practically see her blush from here.

He had turned red as well. "I promise. It's just time wasting fun. So . . . yeah. Uh, do you think Dylan will be okay with this?"

She made a small sound of amusement. "No offense to the guy, but he can be pretty annoying. Plus, he's decent looking. He'll get a girlfriend pretty soon without me."

Garfield laughed. "Fine. So be it! I'll be there tomorrow morning when Gabbi and Gav head towards the festival."

"What do I tell her?" Rachel asked.

Garfield leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. "Leave that to me."

"Terrific. I gotta run. See you tomorrow . . . I guess."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

* * *

Raven had finally stopped avoiding her own questions to herself and was looking at them in the face now. She was so dumb! How in the world had she let herself agree to this! This was such a step back in her progress of disappearing from the Titans.

More time with Garfield? That's giving him much more time to figure her out. And if he figured her out . . .

The door to her apartment buzzed and she hesitantly let the door open. A minute later he was at the door, his emerald eyed face close to hers. She hastily took some steps back.

"Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck in a familiar gesture that made her heart scream. "Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

He stepped aside and swept his arms in a manner that said _You first._

Raven stepped outside and watched as he closed the door behind her. "So, what time wasting task do you have planned for today?"

"I . . . well you'll see." He grinned at her as he walked past and she shrugged her shoulders to make her indigo jacket fit better on her shoulders.

As they left the property, they both failed to notice a small little grackle staring at them from where it perched on a nearby mailbox with four small red eyes.

* * *

They went to the coast first. Garfield, in reality, was winging this completely. But he didn't want Rachel to know that. There was something about her that really made him just want to get to know her better; a strange fascination that was completely different from Terra and absolutely more mysterious than his gradual relationship development with Raven.

"Well here we are. I distinctly remember that you lived near the coast once." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she gave a small smile.

"Yeah. I did once." Rachel almost sounded wistful.

He poked her with his elbow. "I'll bet you really got a close look at the Teen Titans."

She actually let out a full smile this time. "It was chaotic at times."

He carefully put a hand on her back and pushed her gently towards the water and they began walking along the edge of the water.

He kicked a rock out of their way. "You have any family?"

She seemed hesitant.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to!" he said hastily.

"No. It . . . it's fine. I just have . . . some family issues. That's all." She hunched her shoulders a bit and Garfield decided to change the subject.

"How about friends? Or _friends?_" He raised an eyebrow playfully on the last word and watched as she carefully avoided his gaze.

"I had friends. And a _friend." _

He smiled all out. "So that proves you aren't impossible to charm."

She didn't answer, but just smiled.

They walked in an almost awkward silence but managed to stay comfortable. "Dude!" Garfield stopped and face palmed himself. "We are totally going to miss something awesome!"

Rachel looked up into his eyes with some mild confusion. "Miss something 'awesome'."

"Totally!" Garfield took her hand gently without making eye contact and dragged her behind him and they both ran back in the direction of his car.

Rachel let out a laugh as they ran in the inch deep water and he looked back at her. He found it incredibly captivating when her entire face lit up and he felt himself smile and laugh with her.

Rachel's eyes met his and for a moment he felt warm inside. Then something changed and she seemed to pull back and become more reserved.

He furrowed his brow but they got into his car and he pulled her onto the green grass that happened to be in the park.

"The park," Rachel said.

"Yup. The park. That's not the best part!"

They got out and he strode across the place, Rachel following with quicker smaller steps to keep up with his longer legs.

He stopped and put both hands on her shoulders and held her at arm's length. Rachel looked at him with an eyebrow raised and her body tensed underneath his feather light touch.

"Gar . . ."

He felt chills go down his spine when she said his name.

"Where is everyone if this is something 'awesome'?"

He gave a lopsided grin and saw something flash across her eyes.

"I have some special friends. See that fountain over there?"

Her eyes flickered in the direction he had jerked his head in.

"Yes . . ."

"Keep your eyes on it."

She looked into his eyes again and he found that he couldn't look away from her gaze. Garfield saw something, the same something he had seen earlier flash across her eyes.

"Okay," Rachel said simply.

He turned around and as he did so saw a grackle perched on a park bench. He shrugged and walked towards the fountain and stopped when four more of them perch themselves on the fountain and look directly at him. All of them at once in silence.

He froze.

Rachel came up behind him. "Gar, there are more birds. Behind us. And they're all doing the same. Exact. Thing."

Garfield looked closely at the bird on the park bench, and as he did so, the bird looked to the side so that Garfield could only see one side of the bird's head and blinked. Both eyes.

"Oh, _crap,_" he heard Rachel say from behind him.

All of the birds shrieked at once and flew straight towards Garfield's head and began to circle him.

Rachel stumbled back. "Garfield!"

He saw the bird's four eyes glow a deep, familiar red. "No! Stay back!"

"I -"

"Stay back!"

He heard a voice inside of his head then. A voice that hadn't made an appearance since that night. That night that his whole life had taken a sharp turn that left him lost. Scared. Angry.

_Glad to see you are well, green one. I trust you are still in pursuit of my darling daughter. Whom I have in a safe position._

"Garfield!" Rachel was screaming now. There was no one in sight, or within earshot. Most likely planned.

_You're new date . . . I wonder what you would do if you showed . . . your true colors . . ._

Garfield felt his stomach heave and his mouth opened, causing him to make a deep, hoarse hacking sound. Red tinted spit flew out of his mouth and he heard something shatter.

"_Garfield!"_ He saw from the corner of his eye Rachel's purple coat trying to get closer to the whirlwind of demon grackles.

Gar looked down at his right hand as he hacked up another red loogie. His ring had shattered.

"No," he breathed. "Rachel! Get away!"

"NO! I won't!"

He felt his insides heave again and he clutched his midsection. Garfield looked his hands and saw them changing to a green tint very quickly.  
"Rachel! You need to go! Why won't you - URG!" He heaved again.

_Because she can't . . ._

The birds went away and Rachel ran to a now green Garfield and pat him softly on the back.

"You . . . you weren't supposed to know," he said to the ground.

"I . . . I know. But I promise I won't tell anyone else. I've h . . . seen things like this in books about the Teen Titans. I know this is just . . . hero stuff," she finished lamely.

He put his face in his hands. "I just don't understand."

* * *

Raven had completely freaked out when she saw her father's minions doing her father's bidding. When Garfield had been forcibly been transformed back into Beast Boy she had completely lost any regard for her disguise as Rachel. In that moment she had been Raven.

Now . . . she had no idea how to deal with what she had been given by her father.

"I just don't understand," came his muffled voice from behind his hands.

"C'mon. We should get going before you have a mob asking you for autographs," Raven lightly joked.

Garfield gave a feeble smile and Raven felt her facial features soften as she saw his familiar fang poking out of his mouth.

TTT

Thirty minutes later, they were in Raven's apartment, and waiting on a call from Cy, Victor, on Garfield's cell phone.

"So, what do I call you now?" Raven asked as she handed him a glass of soda while she sipped her tea.

"I'd prefer you call me anything other than my old superhero name. I'm not him anymore. I couldn't be. Not without R . . . my friends."

Raven caught his slip but covered her shock and pain with her tea.

His eyes were staring at the floor near him, but they were completely out of focus as if remembering something personal. Something too uncomfortable to talk about.

Raven placed her tea on the table next to the chair she had sat in and she plopped down onto the couch next to him. He looked up and they both searched each other's eyes for the thing they both knew was being kept from them.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

He sighed and lowered his head and ran his hands through his hair. "I would say yes, but we both know that'd be a stupid lie."

She didn't answer.

"Have you ever found someone great to talk to, someone perfect to share time with then have something happen that made them go away forever?"

". . . I'd be lying to say no."

He looked up. "We have so much in common, and yet we don't. How is it that two people can be so different, but share so much?"

She gave a meek smile. "You sound like you're writing a poem."

Garfield looked closer at her and searched her face. "I don't want to betray my best friend," he said softly.

Raven felt her heart melt and she felt tears well up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Raven looked away from his steady gaze.

"I don't have that luxury. It doesn't matter what I want. My best friend is gone. He moved on. At least, I'm pretty sure he did."

"What happened?"

She glanced at his face. His worries had subsided and at the moment he was alert, his pointed ears at attention, his fang tip poking his upper lip.

"I loved him. And I never said so. But other's knew. And they took advantage of our position. They made it so that we can't go back. He has a different family now."

Beast Boy . . . Garfield put a hand on her face and made her look him in the eyes once more. She felt him wipe a tear that she hadn't known had escaped away.

"I don't understand," he whispered as he searched her face with fascination and something more. Something she didn't want to see again. Especially not from him. But she had no control over herself. Not now. Not with him looking like he did.

"Neither do I," she said.

He brought his lips to meet hers. Raven closed her eyes and responded equally, and without thought. He kissed her again and again, each kiss more intense than the last. She wrapped her arms around him and felt him tremble underneath her fingers.

Garfield's phone rang.

They ignored it. He hummed into her mouth; she felt a tear run down her face as a chill went down her spine.

The phone rang again.

Garfield leaned forward so that he was perched on top of her; their mouths still connected.

The phone rang once more before it went to voicemail.

They both fell off the couch and raced to grab the phone but it was too late. Richard had called. Victor was missing.

* * *

Review!

-Beglaria


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